


A Shift in Power

by Invalid_Username



Series: A Loss of Control [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark One!Belle, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-24 10:39:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 30,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Invalid_Username/pseuds/Invalid_Username
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The kiss was given with the intent to unlock the love in a lonely man's heart, but when the consequences are greater than any could have imagined, both Belle and Rumplestiltskin must struggle through the effects it has on their lives and their relationship.</p><p>What is the infamous Dark One supposed to do, when the Dagger's Curse is no longer his cross to bear, and he ha lost all the power that came with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The story begins

It began in what was once her father's throne room, but soon became the war room when things went downhill. Parts (large parts) of the walls were missing, and few of the windows still held glass in their panes. The table was crooked and the elaborate chair worn, a belt draped over it to keep the wood in place. The suits of armour once dotting the place were now worn by the guards. The council was a hodge-podge collection of trusted advisers, army officers and local wise men. Plus Belle, who wasn't really supposed to be there. Avonlea had just fallen, and her father had lost hope. That was when she saw him for the first time. They expected to see him outside the doors, but turned to find him in her father's chair. Grinning. His teeth were stained and crooked, his eyes calculating and dark. His hands were wild, his hair wilder, and his dragon-hide coat was ridiculous. He treated Gaston (and his ever-present sword) with disdain, but looked at her like she was special. Or at least interesting. So that was how it began; with a deal.

The deal led her to the Dark Castle, now noticeably less dark what with her demolishing the curtain rails. She had cleaned up all the dust and the cobwebs, and polished the silverware, and even when she chipped the crockery and released the torture victims, he still smiled and let her hug him, and gifted her with libraries. It probably got its name from the depressing decor and tattered tapestries, and the many towers and spires that led her to getting lost every other day. The dungeons also added to the dank atmosphere.

That had led to an awkward dance, the pair of them nervously shifting around one another like love-struck fools, watching each other when one looked away. Reading and spinning in comfort before a roaring fire. Which in turn led to her release. On the road, hood over her face and basket in hand, Belle had met a dark-haired woman with a cruel smile and colder eyes. She came in a horse-drawn carriage, the horses blacker than night. They foamed at the mouth, and pawed at the air. The men that controlled them looked straight ahead, and only one looked at her, as though warning her away. The woman gave some interesting advice, that prompted her to turn back home.

And that led to now. She sat before Rumplestiltskin, between him and his wheel, and stared into his reptilian eyes. _Why did you come back?_ His voice was subdued and unsure, with an underlying current of hope that made her smile at him. _I wasn't going to... but then, something changed my mind..."_ She leaned towards him, and he leaned towards her, and it resulted in a chaste kiss that was brief, but made her heart race all the same.

The brunette then leaned back, a grin spreading across her face, her head spinning as a wave of dizziness spread over her. _"What's happening?"_ Rumplestiltskin was confused, and it was like the world came into sharp focus as she watched his scales recede, his hair straighten, and his eyes become brown. His face was completely normal when she managed to ruin it. _"Who told you that? Who knows that!?"_ Her stuttering was answer enough, and the Dark One had all the information he needed. He marched over to the mirror in the Great Hall, concealed by a thick covering, and bared its surface to the world. He began to yell, and his maid confusedly stood up behind him. He turned to yell at her instead, and ignored her pleas for him to understand. He shook her as tears filled her eyes, and she involuntarily flinched when he shoved his face close to hers. _"No one could ever, ever, love me!"_ Then he dragged her away to the darkness of the dungeon, and the Queen on the other side of the mirror cackled at their planned misfortune.

What none of them had noticed, for the Queen's magic had been blocked by the draped cloth, and Rumplestiltskin's vision had momentarily dimmed as the magic tried to leave him, was that as _his_ face became more human, _her_ face began to change too. Small scales collected around her mouth and nose, dotting her cheeks, her eyes sharpening in colour and becoming like those of a cat. It was only when the Dark One shoved her away that her fangs dulled back to teeth, and her hair lightened back to a honey-brown.


	2. Banished (forever?)

Whilst Belle was in the dungeon, Rumplestiltskin remained upstairs in the Great Hall. The first thing he did was re-cover the mirror with the heavy cloth, cutting off a disappointed Queen from the show. Then he grabbed the broom she used to sweep the floor, and broke it in half. One half he threw through the window, the other he rose above his head. He brought it down upon the glass of the cabinet, shattering it to the floor. Wood splintered and caught him in the face, catching in his hair. He stopped only when breathing itself became too much for him and stood, panting, his head bowed by the weight of his broken heart. He dropped his staff on the floor and leaned on his cabinet for support.

With an almighty breath he pushed himself up, away from the shattered glass, and towards the great oak doors. Before he reached them he disappeared in a plume of smoke (and for the first time in years he missed his mark), reappearing to walk into the door of the library. He tore it off its hinges and into the room, and began throwing books across the room with his magic. When he was done, paper littered the floor. Then he transported himself back to the great room and sank to the ground. But much to his dismay he could hear Belle crying, her sobs echoing across the castle. As though she had a right to be upset? He stood up and strode to the table, intending to cover the noise. He grabbed the tea set and flung it piece by piece at the wall with all his might. It didn't occur to him to use magic.

When he reached Belle's cup, he paused. In the new silence he could hear her whispering to herself, his heightened senses picking up on the sound. _"I don't understand what I did wrong..."_ He set the cup back down with a sneer. Soon he would remove the problem once and for all.

Some time later, after he had spun enough to calm himself, he made his way down to the dungeon. As he traversed the darkened passage ways he somehow, against his own will, managed to convince himself not to kill Belle. By the time he got their, his plan was to let her go. Seeing her sat there, upon opening the door, with vacant eyes and a despondent expression, made him want to forgive her, and keep her forever, and mend both their broken hearts. He shook himself out of it. Her pain was just an act. She was just irritated her plan had failed, and she had disappointed the Queen. He reassured himself of this as he sent her away, but his resolve began to crumble as she came clacking back. She stood, her faces inches from his, and accused him of sabotaging his own happiness. He told her he couldn't care less about her, but the words were becoming harder and harder to choke out. He wanted to beg her to come back to him, and the darkness inside him was relieved when she said "No, it doesn't. But now you've made your choice. And you're going to regret it. Forever. And all you'll have, is an empty heart, and a chipped cup." The spinner inside him sobbed as her tears began to fall (they are fake, remember that, they are fake), and flinched when her voice cracked at the end. He stayed where he was until, five minutes later, when she was sure to have found the satchel of supplies he placed by the entrance, Belle slammed the door behind her.

-

As she passed through the Great Hall, Belle looked at the carnage her love had wrought. Glass lay broken across the floor, porcelain shattered by the walls. One of the drapes, now nailed back to the wall, was not as secure as the others and fluttered in the breeze caused by what was surely a broken window. She sadly shook her head at the destruction, and made her way through the heavy doors. Folded on the floor just before the main entryway was the cloak he had gifted her when they went after the Sherwood thief. Even _then_ he was caring for her. She wiped away her tears and knelt on the cold ground, lifting the heavy cloak in her arms. It unfolded as she stood, and a satchel fell from within with a thud. Assuming it was for her she slung it over her shoulder, and with a brief glance behind she pulled open the doors, and left the Dark Castle for what she believed would be forever.

A few hours later, out of the mountain pass and in a heavily wooded area, Belle stopped to rest, exhausted. She sat on a log just beyond the hollow of a tree, and rubbed her sore ankles. She knew she had to continue, but just wanted some peace for a moment. She had nothing to think about but Rumple as she walked, and so spent the entirety of her rest forcing herself to think of something _other_ than Rumplestiltskin. Such as her father. The effort made her more tired and, without meaning to, she drifted off to sleep. When she awoke she was shocked to find the darkness had fled, and it was the bright light of dawn that had disturbed her. She shot up with a start, realising she had planned to get much closer to the Marshlands than she was yesterday. And also find water before dark, which didn't work out either. She dropped her head into her palms in despair at her foolishness.

Soon, thankfully, she recalled Rumple's gift. Freeing her arms from the comfort of the cloak she had draped over herself, she reached for the satchel whose strap she had wrapped around her ankle. She lifted the flap to find that on top there was a blanket. She pulled it out, expecting the coarse fabric they used back at her father's estate in the infirmary, but was delighted to find it to be soft and smooth to touch. She refolded it and placed it on the log beside her. Next was a pair of water-skins, regretfully empty. She sighed, and placed those atop the blanket. Then she pulled out parcels of leaves and, not wanting to disturb them just yet, she placed them on her other side. Also in the satchel was a change of clothes (some kind of red leather that she didn't want to analyse at that moment, but was glad to find included breeches and a heavy pair of boots that she was surprised actually fit in the bag), a coil of rope (for some reason), a book, a spool of gold thread, and a small dagger. She nearly swore at Rumple's thoughtlessness in not providing food, until she remembered the leaf-parcels.

She unwrapped them carefully, removing the twine, to find some odd kind of biscuit inside. At least, they looked like biscuits, and felt like biscuits, but they smelt like bread. Suspicious, she took a small nibble of one corner, and immediately smiled at the taste. Crunchy, a little dry, but satisfying all the same. She moved to take another bite, but stopped herself just before she did at the realisation she was no longer hungry. She blinked down at the bread-biscuits with surprise. She had not thought the stuff existed, but did not find herself shocked that it did. Lembus bread, baked by the elves and known to be able to fill a grown man's stomach with the smallest bite. She shook her head and repacked her satchel, clothes at the bottom, blanket at the side, then the rope, the book the water and the bread, and the spool and dagger in a side pocket not there when she began.

She stood and pulled the cloak over her shoulders, noticing the gloves not there before either. She wore them for the added warmth, since there was very little heat this close to the mountain range, snow still around in smatterings upon the ground. With her hood over her head and he satchel hidden away, Belle began the trek onwards, to a stream where she might quench her thirst. Thankfully there was a clear one she found not three hours later, tumbling over rocks an impressive distance from its origin in the mountains. She drank her fill and topped up both water-skins, securing their stoppers tightly. she then stripped down as far as she dared in this not-entirely-enclosed space, and washed as much of her body as the water could reach. The stream was not overly deep, but was enough so that, if she were to lie down, her raised arm would be open to air at her elbow. Her clothes were also washed in the stream, them before her, and left to sun on a flat rock. After trying (and failing) to keep her hair dry whilst washing herself, she used the blanket to dry off where she could, pulled on the now dry-and-crisp dress and undergarments, and forced her hair back with a ribbon.

Ready once more, she continued on her journey from mid-morning until late evening, swaying dizzily from the black spots that often danced behind her eyes. She sorely wished she had stayed in the village she had passed through, but it was too late for that now - it was an hour behind her, and darkness was rushing in. Already she struggled to see the road before her. She thus moved off into the trees, managing to find a wide one that could hide her from the road. Using her blanket as a pillow and her cloak as a blanket, she settled herself down for the night, hoping that tomorrow she would be able to find the village by the dwarf mines.

In the morning, awoken as she was by the passing of a carriage, Belle ate as much Lembus bread as she could manage (another tiny bite), and drank a good amount of water before relieving herself as necessary further into the tree line. When comfortable once more, she retrieved her satchel and cloak, pulled on her gloves, and set out in what she hoped was the right direction. The fairy dust mines were between fifteen and twenty miles away, and whilst that was a relatively easy distance for a hardened walker, it was not so for a noblewoman who spent most of her life trapped in doors, even if she'd spent most of the last few months traversing a ridiculous amount of staircases. Puffing out her cheeks in frustration and determination, Belle set out on her way.

She reached the place around midnight, having not wanted to stop when she felt she was so close. Thankfully, the first building she stumbled into in the small town (a collection of buildings really, only ten or so for travellers. Dwarves live underground) was a tavern that doubled as an inn. She moved away from the doorway and let it close on the still night. She lowered her hood as she searched for the owner, and it became apparent pretty quickly that that was a mistake.

She heard a drunkard call out something crude and unrepeatable, and her face flushed with shame and humiliation as she hurried to the other side of the room, where she could see a bar. Some of the other patrons laughed at the other man's comments but most of them, there were barely fifteen to begin with, continued staring at their drinks, or snored into the table. No one was behind the counter, however, and she blew some rogue hair out of her face as she looked around.

That was when she caught sight of him, a huge behemoth of a man coming towards her. She shrank away, aware that if this man wanted to take something from her, to hurt her, she would be powerless to stop him. She was about ready to hit him with her satchel as he paused a few paces from her, and she flinched when he thrust his hand out to her. He laughed then, and introduced himself. He was Jamie, dubbed Giant by the local Dwarves, and owned (as he put it) 'this mighty fine establishment'. She shook his hand, and he apologised for frightening the 'pretty little lady'.

His daughter, a surprisingly small girl from the size of her father, was named Brienne, and was instructed to take Belle up to a room for the night. She could pay on the morrow, when her thoughts were clear. 'On the morrow' ended up as late afternoon, as Belle got a proper night (and day)'s rest from all her walking. She wandered down a short while after awakening, briefly considering the soft leather breeches and accompanying ensemble, with the tall boots and the red gloves. She stuck with the dress, however, and was welcomed to the tavern area by Brienne when she reached it.

The innkeeper's daughter was Belle's height and more sturdily set, her blonde hair leaping around her head in an untameable tangle. Her dress was simple, brown and of the peasant-cut, but well made and sturdy. With her she had a tin serving tray, currently holding a good half-dozen jugs of ale. She directed Belle to a table just off the edge of the room, where she was soon joined by Jamie, who was far less intimidating in full daylight. Without harsh candlelight to distort them, his features were soft and kind, and it seemed his daughter had inherited his blonde hair. His eyes were spirited and brown, like his daughter's, and his hands were large and worn from hard labour. He told her she was welcome to stay as long as she wished, and gave her a fair price for the room. She was soon brought a hot meal and a drink to wash it down, and then she was left alone, her spool of thread some three inches shorter.

She sorely wished she had taken her book down with her, but soon began to enjoy the sport of people-watching. She caught sight of Brienne's mother, a woman with long unruly hair, darker than night, whose eyes danced as she laughed at some tale her husband wove. She saw the man from the night before, looking a little put out that she had ignored him. As she sat and watched people come and go she felt the skin of her arms and back burn, and her face too, and often felt an overwhelming dizziness come over her. And then in the late evening, because she had been day dreaming and staring at her hands that long, she saw the Dwarves. There were about twelve of varying ages, each wearing hats of different kinds, and a large group of them sat at the table by hers. Although she was, at this point, trying to imagine what Rumple's son might look like, she did manage to catch half of a conversation the two closest to her were having.

Unable to keep a straight face any longer at their confusion, she barged into their conversation, and cheerfully informed the younger dwarf that he was in love. The poor man soon came to sit at her table, and as she giggled at his description of their meeting (and trying to ignore the raw pain of Rumplestiltskin, she sent him off to find his love, his hope, and his dreams.


	3. Beasts and curses go together

The next day, since she preferred the soft tavern beds to the forest floor, Belle remembered to take her book down, and spent the first half of the morning reading and drinking ale. Her book, or rather, _Brienne's_ book, was one she had read before, but had thoroughly enjoyed. The Princess was just about to meet her Prince Charming, but she wouldn't know it was him until chapter three. At this point, however, she was distracted by a travelling swordsman and his company, who were searching for men to help them find and slay a deadly beast. She watched as he talked, riling up the men. A part of her wanted to join their expedition.

Her attention was caught by a voice next to her table at the edge of the room that said "Looking for an adventure?" She looked away from the group to find the dwarf from the night before grinning sheepishly at her. "Dreamy, right?" Dwarves had the most ridiculous names. He confirmed that that was him, and joined her at her table. Then he told her he and his love were running away together, and she smiled at the thought, happy for him. But soon enough her focus was drawn back to the rowdy group, and when the Dwarf suggested she sign up, she told him she was safer sticking to her books. Somehow, however, he changed her mind, and as a parting gift he presented her with pure fairy dust.

By the time the noonday sun had risen Belle was sat with the men on the men's wagon. She had payed Brienne for her food and boarding, and had returned the book she had borrowed. Now she was reading her _own_ book, one about various creatures of the realms. It had a very convenient page on the Yaoguai, and the fact that it was in another tongue didn't bother her in the slightest. She understood a great many languages.

The cart was a crooked one, and she felt every stone they passed over in the six hour journey. The horses, beginning at a steady trot and now at a stately walk, were flecked with foam and whip marks, their bay coats suggesting cruel treatment. The men in the cart were few, and took little interest in her, save for the speaker at the tavern. Throughout the journey he had spoken rudely to her, or rather about her, and she found herself becoming quite irritated. She could sense another block headed comment coming on, and sure enough there it was. They weren't scribbles, they were another _language_.

Not wanting to give the men the satisfaction of intimidating her, however, when they asked she directed them to the lake, knowing that the Yaoguai preferred mountainous habitats above all others. So she was only slightly offended when the man with the large hat kicked her off the cart, and threw her book after her. She smirked and bade them farewell, and turned to find the Yaouguai's cave.

Trekking through the forest was a tiring business, particularly when going up hill. Thankfully the land was a dry one, and the lack of rainfall allowed the land to be sturdy and secure, so Belle only tripped once or twice on her way. When she found the cave most likely to be the Yaoguai's, she pulled her small dagger from her belt and moved forward. Her satchel had been left at the tavern with her dress, cloak and rope, and all she had now was the bread, one of the water-skins, the dagger and her book, and the clothes on her back.

She crept towards the cave, praying that the creature was sleeping, but she soon discovered that was not the case. A twig snapped beneath her boot, and almost immediately there was a reaction. A roar rang out from within the cave, and she turned on her heel and ran. Mere seconds later she could hear heavy footfalls from behind her, and knew the beast chased her. She tripped onto the floor just in time for the beast to miss her back with its raking claws. And then, as the fiery creature came back for her, an arrow struck it in the side.

The arrow came from an ornately dressed warrior, a slender figure in black and red armour with a plumed helmet, and a beautiful bow. She closed her eyes in thanks as the Yaoguai roared and departed, and raised herself from the ground. Her breath shook as the figure jogged towards her, removing their helmet, and as she straightened she was surprised to find the warrior was a woman. When the woman rudely informed her that she had ruined her hunt, she couldn't help but point out she had tracked the beast in a day, and with only her book for assistance. The woman was unimpressed, and warned her away. She stalked past, and her red cloak soon disappeared into the mist.

The next day, after Belle had finally found her way to a village, she was drawing water up from a deep well with a bucket. Her water-skin had been punctured when she fell, and she had not had a drink in almost twenty-four hours. As the bucket reached the top of the well she felt a hand on her shoulder, and before she knew it she'd dropped the rope and only her hands were stopping her falling into the well. Her feet had been lifted into the air. A face appeared on either side of her, and she recognised two of the men she had sent to the lake. They did not look happy to see her.

She tried to convince them to release her, but it was to no avail. The man who shoved her off the wagon was sneering at her and the other man, Claude, had a hold of her leg and was moving his fingers in soft circles across her thigh. But then suddenly, thank the Gods, something hit the hatted man across the throat, and he fell to the ground. Claude released her to help his companion, and that was when Belle saw the soldier. She strode confidently towards the well, there to protect her. Claude drew a knife and lunged, but the woman was quicker and soon he was disarmed and lying prone on the floor. It was then the woman's helmet fell off, but she didn't let that stop her as she knocked the man out. She moved to her feet to draw her sword and warn the men away, and then went to speak to Belle. It seemed she had warmed up to the shorter brunette, who counted that as a victory. Unfortunately, it seemed the woman was injured. But they continued all the same, Belle now invited to track the Yaoguai with her.

Hours later, when darkness fell, the two of them had finally found the Yaoguai, but it seemed Mulan could not continue. After walking such a long way, her leg injury had only worsened. Now Belle would have to slay the Yaoguai. Mulan believed she had the warrior's spirit and the ability, upon finding something worth fighting for, to never give up and to fight for it. So she untied her sword, and handed it over. As Belle stumbled down the hill, she kept her mind off the beast by admiring the sword sheath. The discs on it were very nice, but this one here was loose and... ah. She was out in the open now, in the same field as the monster. She took a deep breath and yelled, loud as she could, for the beast to hear and come to her. She regretted it instantly as it ran to her, faster than she could ever hope to be, the acrid smell of smoke filling her nostrils. She barely made it to the village in time, and ran right across the square just to run into some kind of water collection system. She hummed in irritation, and her voice was drowned out by the roar of the creature. It had found her.

Its fiery eyes stared her down, its mane shifting and growing with its every breath. It seemed its very soul was aflame. And that was when she realised her advantage. She drew the sword and, as the beast leaped at her, she brought the blade down on the fragile wood of the irrigation system. It burst out with the force of a flood, drenching the creature and dousing its flame. Belle stumbled forwards, sword raised in her hand, and watched the pitiful creature - did she truly have to kill it? She frowned, and saw that the beast was writing, actually writing, something. She twisted her neck to read from another angle, and was surprised to find she could understand what it wrote. "Jiù... save me..." She immediately sheathed the sword, and removed the fairy dust. What was the harm in trying? She upended the pouch, and sprinkled its contents onto the beast's head. Pink smoke shrouded the creature, and when it cleared before her lay a man. She had broken his curse.

She helped him to his feet, hoping the curser was not Rumple, and discovered the culprit was a sorceress called Maleficent. It seemed the man was in her debt, and she asked if he would help her bring Mulan to the village. He agreed, and she made the trek back up the hill. When they reached the top Mulan was reading her book, but soon enough traded it back her her sword. Belle was happy to introduce her two new friends to one another, and as they left realised what Mulan had said was true. She had found something worth fighting for, and now she would fight for it. "I'm coming back Rumple."


	4. Toxic Queens and angry beasts

"Isn't that sweet." The venomous voice flitted through the air, and of course, Belle should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The smile dropped from her face and she fell back a half step as she turned to find the woman from the road before her, astride a large black horse, and backed by an impressive entourage of guards and generally unpleasant people (the latter term referring to Claude and his hatted friend). Seemed they'd sold her out. She regarded the dark woman, surely the Queen Rumplestiltskin had gotten so worked up about, and as discretely as she could started backing away. It wasn't enough to be quiet however, speed and strength were also required, and she couldn't exactly put those to use when a man twice her size had his meaty hands around her arms. She was dragged across the forest floor, her boots making deep furrows in the earth, and as she was dragged she forced her small dagger from her belt. As the giant man pushed her into a rickety cage rigged to be pulled by a man, presumably him, she finally worked her dagger free, and just before her last leg was completely in she stabbed him in the hand, lunging forwards - as she had been shoved in backwards - with a strength and speed she hadn't known she possessed.

The man released both her and the door to the cage, in equal measures of shock and pain, and Belle took the opportunity to shove the barred door into the man's face and leap out. Her feet found little purchase on the loose leaves of the forest floor, but there was enough to prevent her from falling, or sliding into the reach of one of the many guards. She was able to regain her balance, and immediately used her momentum to make a mad dash past as many of the men as she could. She managed to stay out of the reach (with that speed that had come to her only recently) of all of them until she reached her target; a seemingly abandoned horse, whose back she leaped on. Seemingly abandoned, because only when she was in the saddle and preparing to urge the horse forwards did she see the bearded man by its head, holding the reins. She stared at him, wide eyed for a brief second, certain of her impending doom, when the man released the reins, took a half step back and gave her a small nod.

She waited only a moment longer, then squeezed the horse forwards with her heel. The animal barged straight into the bearded man, who promptly fell to the ground and acted as though to recapture his steed. She kept going, however, and it seemed the Queen had brought horses bred for speed; the creature was racing through the trees, encouraged by the sounds of a chase behind it, and leaped over logs, crushing the brush under-hoof. She had considered going back to find Phillip and Mulan, but felt quite sure that the dark Queen would not hesitate to slaughter both of them before they could so much as blink. This was confirmed as blistering heat formed behind her head, and it was only a brief stumble from her ride into a shallow ditch that stopped her from getting more than a few singed hairs. She wondered why the woman didn't just magic her to stop, or break the horse's legs. Either would work. Perhaps magic's price was just too high.

She shook herself out of it, and tried to figure out which direction they were going in. She didn't really recognise the area but... wait, that signpost said the fairy dust mines were less than ten miles away. How far had she already travelled? How long had they been running? She couldn't tell, but surely that distance would have taken at least a half hour, even on horseback. Was it normal for it to feel like 5 minutes? She glanced back. The group chasing her was much smaller now, and it seemed the dark woman _was_ trying to stop her with magic, but was failing. She blinked turning back, and that signpost said _two_ miles. What was going on? Her throat was burning, her arms felt like they were being clawed to pieces, and her head... oh, she felt so dizzy! She suddenly recalled the cliff she had walked beside the morning before, taking the opportunity to read outside for once. Surely they were near to that now? Would anybody mind if she led the Queen to it, shoved her over the edge to her death?

Belle shook herself again, this time in horror. Never had she wanted to harm somebody before! At least, not somebody other than Gaston, who she more often than not got the urge to slap. The black spots reappeared before her eyes and she slumped, the lack of tension in her legs causing her foot to lose the stirrup on the horse's left side. She released the reins with her left hand to guide her foot back to the stirrup, and it was in that moment her horse skidded to a stop. She, however, kept moving, straight through the air. And down. Very far down. The cliffs, more of a wide rift to be honest, had apparently been formed by an accident with fairy dust, and were very sheer and very sudden. Over time water had collected at the bottom, and now there ran a powerful river between the cliff faces. The sound of it first reached Belle's ears as she passed out, the world shrinking to a darkened tunnel and a burning sensation covering every inch of her skin. The river was the last thing she heard, and a very sharpened image of the Queen was the last thing she saw, the colours merging and leaping like an odd kaleidoscope of vibrancy.

-

Whilst Belle had been traipsing through the mountains, giving advice, saving beasts and generally running for her life, Rumplestiltskin had been moping. If asked he would insist he was fine, and would flamboyantly lead you away from the Great Hall. If you entered said hall, however, you would find the cabinet in pieces, the drapes tattered, the artifacts strewn, and even the infamous wheel splintered. In fact, the only thing in the entire room, and indeed much of the castle, that remained intact was a single porcelain teacup, resting on the standing half of the considerably-smaller-than-it-is-supposed-to-be great table. So he was moping.

Partly he felt betrayed. He had invited a woman into his home, albeit as his Caretaker, and she had torn his trust to shreds. He had given her his secrets, and she had given them to the Queen. He had handed her his heart and she had crushed it in her fist. And she had kissed him, and in that tried to kill him. And therein lay the problem. She hadn't just kissed him; he had kissed her back. He loved her, and she hadn't loved him, had never loved him, and had played him for his power. That wasn't true. The spinner in him knew. That was the worst part. He'd loved her and she'd loved him, and he'd thrown her out like she was worthless garbage, or a stray kitten when it was raining. He had possibly, and quite probably, driven her away forever. And that killed him. She meant more to him than his power. Just not more than his son.

So to keep his mind off the betrayal (by Belle, but mostly by himself to his son and to her) he decided to explore the odd feelings he'd been having. Not emotional feelings, more like physical stirrings. No not like that. More like... like his skin was being peeled away, and replaced with someone else's, like a large part of him was being torn away and handed on. Common sense told him to ignore it, but curiosity told him it would be interesting. So he explored what was going on, and avoided thinking about Belle for a good three days. During this time his arms and face burned, and he smashed things when they got in his way. His magic was also a little off and uncoordinated, and when a woman called him to make a ridiculous deal (in which she asked to be free, never to be caged again - a jar of honey doesn't pay for that, even if they're enchanted bees) he turned her into a bird and not a snail, and threw her in the air. If he _had_ turned her into a snail, he would still have thrown her into the air. It was that thought that helped convince him he was not going soft.

But after those three days his searches began to result in blackouts. He'd get ready to make tea, would search the odd stirrings whilst he was waiting for the water to boil (magic tea tasted like dirt and ogre spit. Which he had, unfortunately, consumed before for sustenance), and would then find himself in the Great Hall with an empty teacup and the lemony taste on his tongue. He was tired of the spots behind his eyes, however, and his less-than-perfect senses, so he decided to figure out what in the seven hells this poison was. So, some five or so days after Belle had left (he had _not_ been counting) he stood in the Great Hall, beside his splintered table, and began to focus. He poured all his magic into it, feeling his skin begin to burn across his entire body, as though a thousand Regina-fingernails were being dragged over him. He blacked out several times, time itself escaping him, and the dark spots returned to cloud his vision. He had the sudden sensation of falling, and then the world went black.


	5. Taverns and tower rooms

Belle didn't feel the moment she hit the water, or anything else, for a good few hours, and when she came to she could see Brienne's face before her. She seemed to be trying to get her to swallow a mouthful of water. Belle complied, and that was the moment the young girl met her gaze. And promptly backed away, making the evil eye at her, warding herself with the common hand gestures from all forms of evil. Belle frowned, and Brienne screamed. The sound ricocheted around Belle's head, and she tried to focus her mind on the situation. First, her hearing. The tavern girl was surely not the only one in the room; Belle could hear a great many voices muttering around her, some curses and pleas for rescue, some vulgar terms of the unpleasant variety. Next, her sight. She seemed to be back in the Dwarf Tavern (the Dusted Jellyfish? Was that its name?), and could see Brienne hiding behind her mother on the other side of the room. Inside dark shadows that no longer hid things from her. As her vision began to focus, she could see some of the speakers in the room; a good few Dwarves, a drunkard or two, and that there might be an honest-to-Gods fairy. She didn't care to analyse the smells in the area; they were bad before whatever this was began.

Skipping smells and tastes, Belle directed her focus into feeling. Her skin no longer burned, and the dizziness had passed, but now her whole back, bones and all, seemed to be burning instead, and her arms felt like they were being ripped out of their sockets. At a warm contact on her shoulder and a sudden jerk of her body forwards, and she realised that was exactly what was happening. Something cold began to encircle her wrists, and with a start she realised it was chains. She began to struggle, but it was to no avail. Soon enough she saw why. The 'Giant' from the first night, the one who crept towards her and damn near gave her a heart attack, moved into her line of sight. "Hello again little lady. Thought you could fool us, bewitch us 'nto being your minions?" She stared at Jamie uncomprehendingly, utterly confused. The drunkard that had leered at her stumbled forwards and slurred out best as he could: "What we gon' do with the Demon, Innkeep? We gon' kill 'er? 'Ave some fun?" His 'n' drew out in a long moan, and he slumped into a chair someone thoughtfully (or from long practice) placed behind him. Belle felt chills down her spine, and looked imploringly at Jamie. What was going on? Someone shoved her from behind, jarring the shoulder they had dislocated in an effort to chain her, and the pain, though somewhat subdued, was still there and burning. Her hair fell in her face with the movement, and she was surprised to find it several shades darker, and a little more unruly. She supposed it had become tangled in her fall (how in the names of the Gods did she survive that?), although it no longer felt wet.

At some point when her focus, or perhaps consciousness, drifted, the men had come to a decision, perhaps a way to test her capacity for pain, or whether or not she bled. "What'd be the best way to do it though? Don't look like no knife would b'able to cut through them scales." Scales, what? "P'raps we chop its hand?" "That don't stop the scale problem Carter." She didn't have scales, they could chop her hand off just fine, much as she would prefer it if she didn't. "Mayhaps we could pull a toof? One at the back p'raps?" "Don't like the look o' them front ones though. They lookin' mighty sharp." "How 'bout one-a dem from the fron'?. Don't look like she could bite us too easy wit' dem." Belle eyed each of the men before her, suspicious and wary and not seeing a way out. She contemplated just leaping for the door and making a run for it, but barely had the chance to prepare her muscles for the exertion before Jamie had her jaw in his hand, and was forcing open her mouth. He was kneeling at her level, which made her realise she was on her knees, and someone had handed him a tool for the... extraction.

At first she truly didn't think he would go through with it, but as she took a second look at the hard line of his mouth and the heavy crease between his eyebrows, she realised he most definitely would. He put two fingers in her mouth like you would for a horse's bit, and clamped the tool (she sincerely hoped someone hadn't decided to invent something for the sole purpose of stealing teeth) around the decided-upon tooth. Her breathing became heavy, both from fear and from fighting the urge to bite the man's entire hand off. Tears began to stream down her face, and she realised the odd keening sound she heard came from the back of her own throat. That didn't stop the barkeep. He tightened his grip on the tool, flexed his fingers, and pulled. She screamed in agony, in rage, and tried from instinct to pull away. The pain seemed to increase tenfold, and suddenly it was as though someone had poured ice water down her spine. Something started to cloud her vision (an actual cloud it seemed, a collection of sapphire-blue smoke), and everything before her began to change. The last thing she saw of the tavern was the stern faced fairy (and she saw where the place got its name, but that didn't stop the dress from being horrendous) trying in vain to pull Jamie away.

-

When Rumplestiltskin came to he was lying on the floor of the Great Hall, and it seemed _this_ blackout, unlike the others, had prevented his body from functioning. It had been years since he'd last passed out. The Dark One did not 'pass out'. He hauled himself to his feet with a monumental effort, and it was only when he stood up straight that he realised he was kneeling on his floor. His right knee had collapsed under the weight of his body, the joint suffering from an injury he had suffered years before, one that no longer existed since he became the Dark One. He slowly looked down at his hands in absolute horror, and yelled a curse when he saw his soft flesh. Human flesh. What the devil was going on?

He tried to stand again, tried several times, but failed each time. In the end he dragged himself across the floor, thankful the doors to the Hall were slightly ajar. He crawled pitifully across the floor and across several rooms, his knee screaming at him to stop, until he reached the winding staircase to his tower room. With the walls this close together he could use them for support, and was able to steadily force himself to his feet, and then up the stairs, one at a time. He didn't stop when his knee felt like it was going to cave in, didn't stop when he retched by a window, or when he slipped on an uneven step. He made it to the top, collapsing against the heavy door, his full weight barely forcing it open. He moved across the floor like a worm, moving his good leg every few seconds to force himself that extra inch or so, his hands being skinned on the stone, his torn and bloodied fingernails digging into the cold. Eventually he reached his target; a loose flagstone on the floor.

It took all the strength he had to haul it out of its space, all of his focus to reach into the stone behind it, his hand passing through with the aid of the magic he had placed on the block. He felt relief only when his hand met the hilt of a dagger, and steadily pulled it out of its prison of rock. It had not left this space in over 300 years, not since he came here, not for anybody. He forced himself to sit and calmed his breath, his lungs begging for some respite. His breath remained short and erratic regardless as he sat pathetic and hunched over on the floor. With a shaking hand he flipped the Kris dagger in his grasp and read the name engraved on the silver blade. Five letters to its previous fifteen. Swirling and looping where his had been angular and harsh.

B-E-L-L-E.

With a snarl he tightened his grip on the dagger, blinked back tears from this ultimate betrayal, and lifted the weapon into the air. Repeated the words as he had all those years ago, after the fire in the Duke's castle. "Dark One, I summon thee!"

A kiss should not cost so much.


	6. Accusations and commands

When Zoso had been summoned the air went cold and he had been filled with a sudden sense of dread, the smell of sulfur filling the air. With Belle it seemed to become warmer, but only marginally so, and he felt calm inside. The air became filled with the scent of dust and books and roses, something he had long ago termed simply as 'Belle'. He expected her to appear in a plume of dramatically dark smoke, standing tall and in some hideous dress of Regina's, one that complimented her new scales. Something black, or maybe green. What he didn't expect was smoke of cornflower blue to swirl from the floor (his never swirled, merely _poofed_ ), and for her to appear kneeling and in chains. She was in the red deerskin outfit he had provided, her hair loose from its rough braid. Her hands were chained behind her back, both shoulders dislocated, and someone had weighted down her feet. Her head was bowed, blood dripping, presumably from her lips.

He had expected her to be snarling and snapping with all the rage of a cornered Dark One, especially now that she was wrapped in chains, but he found himself surprised. As he watched her he realised he could hear her sobs, and when she looked up it took his breath away. Somehow she managed to pull off the scales in a way he and Zoso never had, and it was still her beautiful face that gazed back at him. Her eyes were, if possible, even bluer than before, and her lips remained rosy and full. They were slightly parted and it was that, mixed with the tears on her cheeks and the desperation in her expression, that took his breath away. He knelt down, for the moment ignoring his knee, to her level, and reached out to grip her face. She flinched where she had never flinched from him before, and it was odd that this brave (and now powerful) woman would flinch from him, a cowardly, powerless spinner. But with her face no longer moving he could see that somebody had removed one of her teeth, a canine, and that was why she was bleeding.

But then he shook himself out of it. This was the woman that stole his power from him with a kiss, the one who planned with his greatest enemy to kill him! He released her face roughly, shoving it away from him and, ignoring her hurt and shocked expression said "Transport us both to the Great Hall immediately." She blinked at him, lost, but her magic was already following the command of the dagger. It literally _danced_ around them, smothering them in blue, and in no time at all they were down in the hall. He stared at her, trying for emotionless and failing miserably, and instructed her to remove her chains, and rise. She did so, not understanding how she was free and he told her, out of pity mostly, but told himself it would have benefit, that she could fix her arms. With a harsh _crack_ that resounded twice, her arms dangled more naturally at her sides. As punishment, however, he said, with the dagger outstretched, "You may not heal any of your other injuries or ailments without my expressed permission, and (because it was important he got this point across) you must heal any and all injuries I myself receive, including illnesses, and must not, under any circumstance, cause me any yourself." She nodded numbly at him, swaying on her feet.

-

She was utterly confused. What had happened? She had been at the _Jellyfish_ , and now she was here, in the Great Hall. In fact, only a moment ago she was in his tower workroom. He healed her arms with his magic, and she was too dazed to hear what he said next, but from the tingling feeling down her spine she felt that it was a command to be followed. She wished he would heal her legs and her back too, because it felt like she'd hit water at a hundred miles an hour. And her mouth, because she was certain she had one less tooth than she should. She flicked her tongue over it, and found the gap. It was becoming difficult to remain upright, and as her knees buckled she wished she had a chair to sit on. It seemed Rumple had heard her request, since she didn't make it as far as the floor. The man himself now stood gazing at her, a dagger in his hand, and it took her a long moment to figure out what was different about him. "What happened to your scales? You aren't shiny anymore." Damn. That last part was supposed to stay in her head, and the whole thing had been slurred. His nostril twitched and his expression shifted, either in irritation or amusement, she couldn't tell which. He asked the room, or maybe the dagger, for a chair, and the one she always liked to see him sat in appeared behind him. He seemed surprised that the castle had provided his most comfortable chair. He sat regardless, finally at her level once more, and shifted closer.

"Don't you know the results of your own little trick, dearie? Didn't Regina tell you what that potion would do?" His expression was hard, but she couldn't call it cruel, not when his eyes were so soft. "Trick? What potion? Is Regina the dark woman with the cruel eyes?" He scowled at her, and grabbed at her hands. "Whatever it was you put on your lips, dearie, to steal my magic. And don't act like you don't know _exactly_ who Regina is." She tried to pull away, but he managed to pull her hands up to her face, and she was startled by the contrast. One pair was large and rough, but softly skinned, the other small and delicate, but covered in pebbly scales. She'd never been this close to his hands before, or had such an opportunity to study his scales. It was with a start that she realised the pebbled hands were hers; it only became obvious when the others dropped away into his lap. His skin was completely human and hers, hers had more ridges than a crocodile. She blinked up at him, frowning. "The Dark One's curse is yours to bear now dearie. All the power in the world." She blinked at him again. Curse, what? Was this what her kiss had done, stolen his power away? She hadn't know that was what would happen. She thought the darkness would go, but the scales and the magic would remain. Wasn't that what he looked like? And now _she_ was the Dark One?

"Why do you have that dagger?" That seemed like a safe question to ask, and she eyed the thing with mistrust. He waved it about before her. "Oh Regina didn't tell you about this then? This is the dagger that controls the Dark One, the most powerful weapon in the world. If you'd have stabbed me with it, I would have died and my magic would have become yours. You could have used it to control me, but now I use it to control you, your magic, and your actions." Belle moved from confusion, to anger, and into disappointment, loss and betrayal. "So you've basically stolen my free will, just because I kissed you?" He seemed surprised at her summary of the recent events, and gave a flourish of his hands, much like he used to. "Pretty much, dearie." He gave a grin, but it wasn't as harsh as it used to be. He didn't seem to mean it as much. She thought everything over for a moment, then said, in as even a tone as she could manage: "So why don't you kiss me again? If True Love's Kiss took your magic, then surely it could take mine too?" She'd barely reached the end of her sentence before he'd lunged off the edge of his seat, and was stood with his weight on his left leg, and the crooked dagger at her throat. "Oh that wasn't True Love's Kiss dearie. That was whatever magic or potion you and Regina put on your lips to transfer my magic to you. You probably want me to kiss you so whatever is left kills me." The way he leaned towards her reminded her of the moment he shook her, and she leaned back a little. She, foolishly, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

-

"Why don't you just stab me with the dagger then?" He inwardly winced, but something told him that she caught it. "Because, dearie, controlling the Dark One is just as good as _being_ the Dark One. Besides, I promised Bae I would break the curse if I found a way, and this solves that problem perfectly." Did she really think he'd kill her? He couldn't hurt her. He'd cursed at himself for days just for shaking her a little. He stared into her eyes, shockingly blue for ones contaminated by the curse, and like those of a cat, and he could practically see the cogs turning as she analysed what he'd said. He realised his mistake when she made to speak, and a shard of ice hit his heart. "Was Bae your son's name?"

He was immediately leaning back in his chair, glaring at her, wondering what he should do. He ran his finger over the blade, forming a plan, and a set of rules for Belle. "You will never speak that name to anyone for as long as this dagger is mine; you will tell no one I have a son unless I say you can. If, and when, we find my son, you will help me protect him for as long as you live. And yes, dearie, I say we because _you_ are going to do whatever it takes to help me complete this curse and get him back to me." She stared at him a moment longer, and managed to focus on the part he wanted her to ignore. "Curse..?" He sighed deeply, and commanded her to go to her dungeon room. "But.." "Now, Belle!" With a glower she disappeared in another twirl of smoke, back to where she belonged.


	7. Keeping up appearances

Belle found herself back in the dungeon room, unable to resist the heavy blocks of ice that crept down her spine at the command. When she got there, however, she felt the ice melt away. She considered what Rumplestiltskin had said, and found he had told her new-found magic to take her to her dungeon room. He said nothing about her having to stay there. Very experimentally she closed her eyes and focused her mind's eye on the library. Air swirled around her feet, and when she reopened her eyes she was there. Stood on the table in the center, but there. It seemed the commands had to be exact, or she could find ways around them. She hopped down, nimble until her knee buckled, and made her way over to a bookshelf. She might be here awhile, and so might as well make use of the time. It was then she noticed the pages strewn across the cold floor, and the splintered door thrown off its hinges and scattered down the staircase. Tears bit at her eyes as she forced them down and stared at this, her sanctuary now in tatters. She began to peruse the covers on the floor, looking for something about magic, anything. She tried not to focus on the cracked spines, the crumpled pages, and searched for something that might help her clean all this up, or at least understand what was going on.

She carefully heaped the ruined books together, and finally found a book that might be useful ( _Magical theory, Volume II; Nature's Magic_ ). She lifted it in gentle palms and, by chance, glanced out the window. The first thing she saw was the comforting view that she had gazed at many times while she had been here. Then she saw the dimmer stars she had never managed to pick out before. Then she saw her reflection. It was faded and unclear, but unmistakably her, even with the changes. Her hair _was_ a few shades darker, and more heavily twisted, and her eyes were an even brighter blue, the pupils narrowed into slits. Her skin was mottled but had more gold than Rumple's had, and the scales were more delicate around her eyes and nose. Her teeth were slightly sharper, and stained, but overall not too unpleasant, though there was one missing. She ran her tongue over the soft spot again, and wished she could place her tooth back with magic. Ice danced down her spine; she had been forbidden against such an action. Her hands, now empty since she had dropped the book on the floor at the sight of her own reflection, were taloned and scaled as well (her gloves were missing - she supposed the people at the tavern had taken them, to inspect her hands), and the pads of her fingers as soft as they'd always been. The callouses from her hard labour around the castle were gone. Curious, and hesitant to gaze at her reflection for much longer, she picked the book up off the floor and went to the small cot that had been hers whenever she slept in the library (which was often). She set the book, and herself, down on the feather-filled mattress, and carefully took off her right boot. Her feet, dainty as always, were also scaled, and she was happy to find her toenails were no sharper than before, and only slightly discoloured. She found herself rubbing her thumb over them, willing the discolouration away, as though that would work.

It seemed it did. Her toenails were the right colour again. Perhaps that was how magic worked? She focused on the room around her, and managed to clear up the books without with a thought, reattaching their covers and ordering them back on the shelves. She turned her focus to the door, and pieced it back together and to its correct place. Unfortunately, the exertion made her dizzy, and she remembered what Rumple always used as an excuse for his expensive deals. _"Magic always comes with a price!" _No wonder he made others pay it. She was exhausted. She lay down, figuring she had nothing better to do, and that book could wait, and closed her eyes. She awoke when the sky was light again, and ice was being poured down her spine again. It seemed she was wanted elsewhere. She directed her magic to follow the command, not liking the way her body got colder when she ignored the instruction in favour of standing up. When the blue smoke cleared the Great Hall was the same as it had been, glass shattered and all over the place, all her hard work undone. Rumplestiltskin, her master again, was pacing with the aid of a staff, and he had a limp she had never noticed before. He seemed worked up about something, but was ignoring her presence.__

__As she watched him stumble, first this way and then that, she bit her lip in anticipation, forgetting her teeth were sharper than before. She wondered if magic could heal her, and tried, but then remembered Rumplestiltskin's command. _"You may not heal any of your injuries without my permission."_ Dammit. There was another one though, one she hadn't heard but her mind had recorded. _"You must heal any injuries I myself receive."_ Well now that she knew it was there she had to follow the dagger's command. She focused on his leg and, as his right lifted off the floor, she sent her magic to heal it. He stumbled when it came down then, expecting, but not experiencing, pain. As he gazed down in confusion she focused on the hands that had dropped the staff; worn and bloody, the fingernails broken and ragged. She healed those too. It was then that he registered her presence and stalked over, still clad in his leather and dramatic, high-collared shirts. "What are you doing, dearie?" She stared back defiantly, tilting her chin to look him in the eye. "I vaguely recall you instructing me to heal any injuries you receive. I am merely doing what was asked of me." He narrowed his eyes at her, but, sensing no dishonesty, gave an imperceptible nod of thanks. Ah, well. She'd take what she could get._ _

__-_ _

__"We have a problem dearie." He stared at her, still surprised she had healed him. Why would she bother? "My plans are not yet complete, but I can not send you out as the Dark One for people would surely come to kill me. I myself need to negotiate my remaining deals." To be honest, he could just send Belle out looking like him, but he didn't think she would be able to do a good impression of him. And he didn't want her soul to be tainted by the evil his remaining deals required. Perhaps he was just going soft, but he wanted Belle to stay the way she was. She seemed surprised by his definition of a problem, clearly wondering why she couldn't go make the deals, or why they should be done. He expected her to question him, when she opened her mouth but she merely said, "How about this?" And she stepped back (his proximity was clearly making her uncomfortable, and even with her being the scaly one he was still the most monstrous) and waved her arms a little. He was immediately shrouded in magic, swirling and soft and blue, and when it cleared he had scales again. He frowned down at his taloned hands, waved them around a little. He felt the same, but did not look the same. This was the same enchantment he had used on Regina to turn her into a smelly peasant. How in the name of the Gods had Belle managed this advanced feat of magic?_ _

__He could hardly tell her he was impressed, though, so he just gave another nod of thanks, and experimented with hand twirls. "Now, dearie, we need to solve the problem of my lack of magic." "Couldn't you just command me with the dagger to do whatever magic you need doing?" "Unfortunately, dearie, the dagger's victim only responds to spoken commands, and I can hardly narrate what I need you to do in front of all those desperate souls now, can I?" His Belle pondered the problem for a moment before she lit up, proclaiming "Perhaps you could command me to respond to the requests that you think?" Dammit, she was good at finding loopholes in the dagger's laws. Had she found the weapon whilst he was still cursed, he would have been doomed. More doomed. Anyway. He lifted the weapon, always close at hand, lest she try to steal it, to test that theory. "Dark One, I command you to respond to all the dagger's instructions, spoken or otherwise." Belle instantly shivered and, to see if it worked, commanded her with his find to tell him why she had. She shivered again, and the words were forced out of her. "The chains the dagger holds over me are cold, and burn through my skin." Her eyes were sad as she gazed at him, and he realised they had been sad since he had first summoned her; he had just been ignoring it._ _

__He regretted, a little, the choice he had made in securing her free will to his, but his son had to be found again, and there was nothing for it. She would have to do as he commanded. "Well now that's sorted, its time we practice your magic!" Belle's shoulders drooped but it had to be done. And so he had her summon all of the books he had on magical theory, and set her to reading. It would be months until she was ready for the more serious deals, the ones more closely linked to the curse where he would need her nearby to use her magic on instinct (with powerful magic and heightened senses, she would see so much more than he would), but that was okay. They had time for that. They had time for everything._ _

__-_ _

__In the following months, about four or so, the two got used to being around one another again. Rumplestiltskin continued to control Belle with the dagger; never asking, always commanding. When she finished each book he had her practice what had been learnt, but ensured she maintained the state of the castle, having her clean it all by hand. He swore her to secrecy and forbade her from using scrying magic, and told her under no circumstances was she to go near her father. In truth, he didn't trust her at all. Whatever Belle had been like, he was sure the version of her under the curse would be _very_ different. Belle, as expected, was exhausted. As the Dark One she needed very little sleep, but Rumple was working her to the bone to learn as much magic as possible, mostly learning how to control and manipulate certain spells. She still had no idea what he was working towards, what it was, this 'Curse' that would find him his son. She was mostly exhausted from all of the fighting, though. Not fighting a physical entity, such as Rumplestiltskin. No, she was fighting herself. Or more to the point, her curse. She saw now why Rumple had been so cruel and mocking all of the time. The magic was a bitter thing, and made her feel sour within her very soul. She feared what was becoming of her, and so each day tried to force the darker urges away from herself. According to the one of the books she had found in the library, the first major thing a person did with their magic (such as stealing or saving a life) would determine what kind of magic would come easiest to them. Belle had used her magic with kindness and good intention, fixing the library and healing Rumplestiltskin, but she was fighting the curse of the Dark One for a grip on her own sanity. At the moment she was losing. She wondered, as she sat in her dungeon (instructed to _stay_ there this time), if a Dark One borne from True Love's kiss had any differing amount of darkness from one borne from the stab of that dagger. Was her magic any different from that which Rumple had had? Or was she doomed to be consumed by it also?__


	8. Unwelcome visitors, unwelcome truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This skips a few months from the last chapter, from the after effects of 'Skin Deep' and 'The Outsider' to soon before the earliest events of 'The Price of Gold'.

Things were getting very close to the end, and all he needed to kick start the final events was a royal, or someone with influence on the royals, to manipulate into 'giving something up' at a later date. If he could find one who would refuse to give up their child, he would be set. Belle was about ready to go out into the world on his deals; he would be the one making them, but he felt it important she see the final few steps, and have her magic close at hand. He'd had her search the lands for a childless royal in a desperate situation, but she had found none save for Snow White, who had her own uses. She had, however, found an unmarried royal (by the name of Thomas) and a whole list of young women who were in desperate situations, just waiting to be promoted to a royal status. Few were fair enough to demand a royal's attention, few smart enough to ask for help when they needed it (not from him, but he hoped from Snow and her husband, possibly Prince James, that was unknown at the moment), and even fewer likely to befriend, or be befriended by, the aforementioned Princess. In fact there was only one who fit the bill, and she had a fairy godmother to boot. A very irritating woman, nicknamed 'bop' by her peers, who he was sure very few would miss. She was terribly overbearing, obnoxious and loud. And she hummed. Really, _really_ tunelessly. 

It was a few days before he planned to ambush this 'Cinderella' (he planned to deal for her child the day of Prince Thomas' upcoming ball) when he heard the front door sweep open and loud footsteps outside the hall. He immediately instructed Belle with his mind (they had been practicing that a lot, and she barely flinched at the contact or commands anymore) to turn herself, and her books, invisible. She complied, and out of the corner of his eye he watched her continue to read her book, this one her own and for relaxation. He had forbidden her early on from making herself invisible to him. She 'vanished' just in time, for bare moments later none other than _Regina_ barged through the doors, in another ridiculous dress of hers. "Flimsy locks." Her voice was high and mocking, and she gave a sing-song-y laugh. From the corner of his eye he saw Belle blanch, and flinch. It seemed her mistress had returned, and she did not want to speak with her. "I have a deal to discuss." Dammit. Why couldn't people leave him alone? He was trying to work up the courage to get Belle to go with him to visit Cinderella, and all these interruptions were making it harder! "A certain... mermaid..." _Dammit woman, get your hands off that tea set!_ She was far too close to Belle, who was shaking in her seat and biting her lip to stop herself from making a sound. What had Regina done to her little minion that had her so afraid?

"I'm not dealing today." He was so tired, and not in the mood to leap around like a maniac. The magic Belle had shrouded him in was weak, since she lacked the strength for a stronger illusion, and too much movement or bother would disrupt it. And he was _really_ busy. _Get out of my castle already!_ "Are you angry with me?" He was always angry with her. "What is it this time?" She was pouring tea now, and he couldn't help himself. A threat to her and a threat to Belle, both at the same time, and neither would cross him again. "Your little deception failed. You'll never be more powerful than me. You can keep trying, dearie, but you're never gonna beat me." He was staring at her in all his falsely-scaled glory, a thinly veiled threat laid out on the table, but still she crept towards him with a smile like the cat that got the canary. "Ohh, is this about that girl I met on the road?" A pout did _not_ look good on her. She laughed a cruel chuckle, and stalked back over to the table where Belle remained quaking in her seat. "What was her name? Margie? Verna?" Like her name could ever be so plain! She was "Belle", beautiful.

-

"Right." The voice from her nightmares was sharp, unpleasant as ever. "Well you can rest assured I had nothing to do with that tragedy." She heard Rumple turn from where she was sat, unable to see him through the high backed chair, and afraid to look back lest he see the darkness in her eyes. She was shaking in her chair, and it was all she could do not to lash out and crush the witch's trachea, or break her neck or gauge out her eyes. Her blood would be warm on her hands, and that dark light in her eyes would dim as she looked on surprised and- "What. Tragedy?" Rumple's voice was clipped and to the point, no roundabout riddles for Regina now. He's stalked forwards, and she could sense him just behind her chair. She was tempted to take the scales away, and see how long it took Regina to kill him. "You don't know?" Her expression was condescending, and she just wanted to rip it off.

"Huh. Well, after she got home..." _I never made it home you witch. Not to my Papa._ "...her fiance had gone missing..." _Well that's a shame. With any luck the moron is dead._ "...and after her stay here, her association with you..." She made it sound like a bad thing. She was a hero! "No one would want her of course." _They'd want me more than they'd want you, you hag. Except for your head on a spike. We all want that. Blood dripping onto the floor..._ "Her father shunned her. Cut her off, shut her out." _My father would never throw me out! But I'll bet yours is ashamed to call you his daughter!_ "So she needs.. a home?" Why was he even playing along? Rumple looked so lost, like a little puppy. She wanted to reach out to him, but was afraid to give herself away. "He was cruel to her." Regina was having entirely too much fun. "He locked her in a tower and set in clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flaying. But she escaped and ran, and he sent his men after her. Soon enough though she came to a cliff. Fell off the side." _That was your fault you vile woman! I wish I'd dragged you down with me. The world would be a much better place._ "She died." That last part was sharp, designed to hurt, and she could see Rumple flinch beside her.

-

"You're lying."Why did the woman even _try_ to be better than him? "Am I?" Yes. Now go away! "We're done." He had Belle open the doors, and strode towards them. "Fine. I have other calls to make." Yes, he thought, go and get your head bitten off by Maleficent. "The place is looking dusty Rumple. You should get a new girl." The doors closed heavily behind her, and he took a deep breath. He turned to Belle, who was hyperventilating in her chair. "You really weren't working with Regina, were you?" She shook her head at him, whimpering a little from the pain she had caused herself by biting her lip. Even with a tooth missing the damage she could do was massive. "Did you ever make it home to your father?" She shook her head again, working up the courage to speak. "I was on my way back here when I fell." "Fell?" "Off the cliff." Her voice was subdued and he gazed at her a moment, his expression incredulous. "Why would you come back?" She frowned, and looked at him like it was obvious. "Because I love you."

-

His face instantly darkened, his eyes harder and colder than stone once more. He stood, moving up from his crouch, and she felt like punching him in the throat. And she would have done so, except he told her to go back to the dungeon. And stay there. She called the smoke to attention around her, and transported herself back to her cell. The walls were cold and the floor damp, and the window with its steel bars didn't let any light in. She had long since been forbidden from altering the interior or the exterior of her cell, mainly because she kept trying to make it bigger, warmer, or more comfortable. She sighed, blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. At some point he was going to have to start believing what she said to him.


	9. As close to freedom as she can get

King George truly was a fool. He went through all that effort to procure a child for him, and he went and got him killed. Honestly. And now he needed a _new_ prince to slay a local dragon for Midas. Of course _he_ could kill the dragon, but Georgie Porgie seemed to have skipped over that point. At least the prince had been a twin. He and Belle could just go and fetch the other one. He was looking at the dead man at the moment and, although he wouldn't show it, he felt sorry for George, losing his son and last remaining family. If only he had waited a few days more, until after the Cinderella business was over. But still. The man would be able to tell him where that dratted 'bop' and flitted off to as the price, since Belle couldn't figure out where Cinderella actually lived. Ridiculous. So, off to a failing farm in the middle of nowhere. He called Belle away from the dead body with his mind, since she looked about ready to scribble on his face with the sharp looking quill in her hand. He was just glad she had remained invisible. George would have been horrified, and hilarious as that would have been, it would likely have ended in disaster. Belle probably wouldn't mind just letting George kill him.

Anyway. He tried to recall what the little farm had looked like all those years ago, and sent the image to Belle to find. In no time at all they were on their way, and he sincerely hoped the greedy King didn't notice his magic smoke had changed colour. They were going to have to work on that.They appeared unseen on the edge of an expanse of green pastures, a long haired young man surveying his flock. He stood, feet apart, with his weight bared by a staff. Though the sheep were healthy and clean, the little wooden cottage was suffering. As they watched, waiting for the mother to return, Rumplestiltskin explained to Belle what he had seen in his visions. Snow White and this man, the replacement Prince James (thank the Gods it wouldn't be the _real_ one, that man was insufferable), would have a child that would be vital in his plans. In no time at all, although it felt like forever, the young soon-to-be-prince started to round up his sheep. Most came easily enough, but one slipped from the flock and they watched him chase it with his arms outstretched. He was startled by a giggle to the side of him, and turned his head to find Belle chuckling at the man's antics, her eyes bright. He scowled. That was the type of man his Belle was soon to realise she wanted. A handsome, carefree Prince. The only consolation was the prince probably wouldn't find her very attractive at the moment. He ignored his mind when it said Belle was all the more beautiful.

As the man caught the sheep, Belle still smiling, they watched an old woman wave to her son. He tilted his head towards Belle. "It's showtime!"

-

This fresh air cleared her mind. It was so much easier to think, so much easier to ignore the darkness, when she was outside the castle walls. She had not been out in the open air since Rumplestiltskin first summoned her with that awful dagger. She could breathe again, and the freedom made her laugh. That, and the ridiculous antics of the man before them. She smiled as she watched a sweet old woman, his mother, appear and encourage him to consider marriage, but also follow his own path. As they crept forwards, Rumple looking for an opening, Belle found herself liking the woman and the freedom she offered her son. It was too bad they were here to take that freedom away. The woman said "When are you going to learn? You can't have everything." It was here Rumple motioned for her to make him visible. "Perhaps he can." His voice drawled and his hands danced, and she watched the mother and son turn in surprise. The man really did look like his brother, identical save for that bird's nest mop of hair. The woman clearly recognised Rumple.

Some time later, after the woman had explained to her son _several times_ the severity of the situation, and after Rumple had had her summon a comfortable chair for him as he drank from his flask (all the leather was making him uncomfortable now that his body didn't regulate its own temperature), the 'Dark One' got bored. So he interrupted them. "Time is of the essence." She punched him in the arm. She watched as Rumple explained the deal to the shepherd, unsympathetic of his feelings, with dramatic voices and flourishes. He distracted the young man with roundabout phrases and promises of heroics. The poor man thus chose (was forced) to accept. She watched as the man embraced his mother with tears, and noted that Rumple couldn't bare to watch.

-

The next day, the 'prince' having been delivered and sent dragon slaying, Belle skipped in with news. It had been a long time since he had seen her skip. "The Prince killed the Dra-agon, the Prince killed the Dra-ha-gon." Her voice was sing-song-y and her eyes bright, and she reminded him of himself when his deals succeeded. He stood from his wheel where he had been spinning straw into gold (he had that much magic left at least, that and the seeing (unfortunately)) and said "You're in a good mood dearie. Haven't seen you this bright since you got here." She beamed at him, and it hurt to think he hadn't noticed it was missing. "Going outside yesterday made me feel much better. Lately it's been like the magic has been warring within my mind, but the fresh air truly did me wonders!" She gave a little hop and spun around him, a smile still on her face. He couldn't help himself, and he removed the dagger from his vest. Belle immediately calmed, the smile falling from her face and her eyes hardening as she eyed the weapon. "I now give you permission to leave the castle walls, as long as you remain on the grounds, whenever you wish, as long as you have not been given other tasks to do. You may also leave the castle grounds if you find there is an emergency you must tend to, as long as you come back immediately after finishing." She shivered as the command lodged itself in her mind, but even that didn't prevent the return of her smile. He slipped the dagger back into his vest just as she asked "May I go outside now?" Her hands were clasped together and she pouted a little (he didn't think she noticed), but it was her eyes that settled it. So bright, and hopeful. 

"You may." He gave a nonchalant hand flourish and she beamed with delight, clapping her hands a little. She summoned a book to herself (it made it into her hands, and he suspected she had had a lot of practice at it), and on a whim leaped forwards to embrace him. As she dashed out of the doors she yelled "Thank you!" and it was only after she left that he managed to get past the boulder in his throat. "No matter..." He imagined she would be less pleased when she learned the slayer of the Dragon would be marrying Midas' daughter.


	10. Granting wishes

Finally, now that Prince James had been replaced and he knew the whereabouts of that pesky fairy, he could go make that deal with Cinderella. The sun had set by the time he convinced Belle to come in from the garden. In the past two days she had become much more cheerful, taking delight in the fact she was now permitted to go outdoors. She 'poofed', as she called it, back into the Great Halls, and he rolled his eyes at the grass stains she had on her clothes and skin. He told her to clean herself up and she did, her deerskin and red leather outfit seemingly freshening itself, and she gave him a hesitant smile. "What are we doing today Rumple?" It had been a while since she had called him that. "Today, dearie, we're paying a visit to Cinderella." She smiled, happy they were going to make a lonely girl into a Princess. He had not yet told her they were going to be 'stealing' said Princess' first born. Ah well. It was need to know information. He'd tell her later.

He projected the image of the place in her mind, and she grasped a focus on it. Neither had been to the estate before, and so securing their travel there was difficult. They shifted between there and the dark castle, dramatic red smoke flaring around them. Belle had managed to create an illusion around her magic, so only she saw its true colour of blue, but it made transporting across the realm slower than it used to be, and Belle's ineptitude meant they rarely landed immediately. Instead they faded in and out of existence, reminding him of the time he had watched that Madman and his box disappear with his quickest route to Baelfire. The first time they shifted to the rundown building they watched three less-than-attractive women board a carriage in more-than-hideous dresses. The second time they saw the fair girl that had been left behind; it seemed she had been instructed to sweep up the dirt outside, and her dress was greying and in tatters. Fireworks went off in the distance to celebrate the Prince's ball. The third (and final) time they shifted to Cinderella's home they saw the Fairy Godmother flitting down in a garishly yellow dress, her dark skin complementing the colour and making it look less like a ruined pumpkin. He thanked Belle for shifting them there, and stepped forwards.

-

Rumple crept up behind the fairy in her off-gold dress, and sent her the command to 'get rid' of the woman. She suspected he meant kill but he thankfully hadn't specified, and in a dramatic collection of fire and light she transported the woman to a land she had read about, 'Agrabah'. Rumple didn't miss a beat, and immediately crouched, her making him visible a moment before, to pick up the now-abandoned wand. Belle could tell the poor woman-left-behind (though truly more of a girl-left-behind) was terrified, backing away in small steps from the scaly man before her, her breath short and quick to pass. She was a little irritated she had been made to remove the Fairy Godmother of this poor girl, but she could hardly disobey the man. She'd tried that at the start, and he'd commanded her to set herself on fire. He let her put it out after five minutes, and it truly didn't hurt that much with her thicker skin and higher capacity for pain, but he did not permit her to heal herself for five days and it was uncomfortable. She'd avoided him like the plague until he sheepishly apologised and promised to never command her to do such a thing again.

Now Rumple was dangling the wand in front of the blonde's face, her blue eyes following desperately. He called the wand evil, proclaiming 'all magic came with a price', and young Cinderella watched on confusedly. She reeked of desperation. Why should Rumple be the one to make the deals? _She_ wanted to know how it felt to have that power over a person! She forced herself out of it, to focus on the clean air around her. If only it didn't smell like a desperate soul! Now Rumple walked away, swinging the wand around in his hand but the child called him back. "Wait!" (I will go, with you, forever) "I can handle it!" She asked if he could wield the magic and he answered the positive, introducing himself. "Rumplestiltskin." There was something about the way he rolled his 'R's... He stepped closer to the girl, just brushing her shoulder, and informed her that using the magic meant she would owe him a favour. He asked for 'something precious', and Belle suddenly had a bad feeling about it all. He gave a swish of his hand, and it was too late for her to try and get young 'Ella to change her mind.

He had her summon a scroll and dramatically unfurled it, and the poor girl immediately lunged forward to sign it. Rumple offered his back as something to lean on, and the deal was struck. Then he had her remove the contract (she had long since been banned from reading them, after she tried to make amendments), and contemplated the figure before him. With a dramatic flourish of the wand the other woman was shrouded in the wand's signature smoke (a sickening pumpkin-orange), and when it cleared the sight was breathtaking. Cinderella was now in a shimmering ball gown that Belle suspected matched her eyes, the straps frilled and sequined. Elbow-length white gloves covered her arms, and her elegantly done hair, piled upon her head in ringlets and curls, was adorned with a shimmering band of diamonds. She wore a matching necklace and earrings, and it looked as though her slippers were made of glass.

She had long since moved around to stand unseen beside Rumple, and as she stood there she realised he was staring. At Cinderella. With her face cleared of soot and her beaming smile she truly was radiant, the image of delicate beauty. Did Rumplestiltskin think so too? Had the girl before him stolen his breath away? His voice _did_ seem different as he spoke to her. Was he smitten with her, now that she was free and beautiful in a way Belle would never again be?

When the deal was done, and Cinderella off to the ball in her pumpkin carriage, he had Belle take them back to the castle. She complied, and asked him something she hadn't asked in a while. "Would you like some tea?" He smiled and looked at her. "The chipped cup, if you please." She smiled back.


	11. House flies and white lies

A few weeks later, Belle (almost) back to her own self flitting around the castle with a book (with a lot more precision than 'before') and him being distracted by her and not spinning, Rumplestiltskin felt his plans were working out quite well. Snow White was currently on the run but had met Replacement-James (whom she had nicknamed 'Prince Charming', joy) and fallen in love with him, and said Prince 'James' was getting married. Midas' daughter was moping because she wanted Frederic back (affected by the power he had gifted to her father all those years ago). And the little Red wolf was very close to telling her friend to find one 'Rumplestiltskin'. So things were going well. Of course they were only going well if you ignored the fact that a certain blue-eyed beauty was becoming more and more irritable, and had a habit of breaking things when angry. Her magic was getting away from her, leaking through the tears in the seams of her control. It was much like what had happened to him when _he_ got the power, except unlike him she was fighting it. She didn't need it like he had, had no plans for it in the future. And without creating a purpose for her magic things were going to get difficult for her. To have a purpose she needed to pick a direction, and that required a significant event to take place because of her magic. The easiest thing would be take a life, but that was most assuredly the wrong direction. Especially for his little Belle. But she seemed to be leaning closer and closer to it, and that was something he had to fix. He had no doubts in his mind that, had they dealt with Cinderella _this_ week, that pesky Fairy Godmother would be dead and not 'missing'.

Speaking of Fairy Godmothers... "Belle, dearest. I need you to disappear yourself. We have a visitor." She raised a skeptical eyebrow at the nickname but did as he asked anyway (his dagger was hidden away upstairs, he didn't like the way it gave Belle chills) and vanished herself. She had asked him, once, how it was he became aware of certain things, and he told her it was a combination of the Sight and the fact his castle really liked him. Not seconds after Belle's smoke cleared, free to be blue whilst in the castle, a shining blue light appeared in mid air. He sighed. Anybody but this vulgar creature. The light grew bigger until a little blue gnat was floating before him, a stern expression on its face. Fine, _her_ face. The Blue Fairy scowled at him, an expression poorly concealed by her mask of sincere pity. "Come to make a deal, dearie?" He knew she could sense a disturbance about him, but as long as he kept her distracted she would never notice the Dark One sat at the table at not at the wheel... "You know I don't make deals with the likes of _you_ , Rumplestiltskin." She spat his name like a curse, and he raised a hand to his chest as though her words wounded him. "Well then what brings you here, little housefly? I don't like insects in my house." He leaped of from his stool with a sudden movement and made as though to swat her. Much to his delight, she flitted away with horror and disgust.

"It seems the Fairy Godmother patron to the family of King George has gone missing. I demand to know what you've you done to her!" Well look at little miss superiority-complex. " _I_ haven't done anything to her. But I'm sure if you look about you'll find her." He gave a mocking grin, gesturing to the air, and Blue scowled again. She became fully human sized so she could prod at his chest, and he wondered how creatures who so blatantly displayed their _own_ chests could ever be considered connected to goodness and purity. Some of Regina's dresses showed less cleavage, and people called _them_ vile. The dresses. Ahh... Anyway. "I know you had something (prod) to do with it (prod) Rumplestiltskin." (prod) He raised his eyebrows. "Prove it dearie! Now, we both know that's not the only reason you're here." He didn't, actually, but it was fun to creep her out and act like he knew all her secrets. She gazed at him loftily, and he got the feeling she believed she knew one of his. She sniffed. "I thought you might have died, but clearly I was mistaken. His eyebrows raised higher, straight into his hairline. "And why would you think that dearie?" She glowered, and he bared his teeth at her in a feral grin. She sniffed again and said "I was summoned to the Dusted Jellyfish about six months ago by the Dwarves. It seems they'd captured a very powerful sorceress. One with the skin of the Dark One. Apparently one of the villagers saw her get chased off a cliff by a 'dark woman'. They fished her out and chained her up when they saw what she was. They dislocated both her arms and she barely batted an eyelash. It was only when one of them went to pull out her teeth that she reacted. And then she disappeared." She finished speaking, motioning for him to try and challenge what she said.

"Well as you can see, dearie, I'm not dead and I'm still the Dark One." She tilted her head and gave him an exasperated expression. He grinned like he was proud of himself. "I can see that. But I know for a fact that girl was the Dark One. I want to know what happened." He rolled backwards on his feet and then forwards again, contemplating. "True Love's Kiss." That took her completely by surprise, and she actually stumbled back a few paces. Now she looked like a goldfish as well as a jellyfish. "Well... what happened to her?" He pursed his lips, as though this were a difficult question. Then he grinned. "Why I, stabbed her with the dagger, of course!" Now the gnat audibly gasped, hand over her heart. When she'd calmed herself, fury still writ across her face, she said "I truly did not believe you could make yourself more horrifying, but you have. First Baelfire and now this poor girl." He scowled at the mention of his son. "You really are an evil monster Rumplestiltskin." Then she shrank herself with a huff, and flitted away into a beam of light.

-

She crept up to him after the miniature fairy had gone, the one she had seen at the tavern. She put her hand lightly on Rumple's shoulder and he flinched, turning to look at her. "Are you okay?" He nodded at her mutely. "How does she know what happened to Baelfire?" He winced and rubbed his leg, his focus when he experienced bad memories. "She was there... Her fault" His voice, barely more than a whisper, and his gaze, lost in the distance. She pulled a sympathetic expression and said "I can tear her wings of for you if you'd like?" He winced, like that hurt too. "No thank you Belle. Go back to your dungeon please." He sat down with tired eyes and she scowled as she collected her magic around her. It was only when she got back to her cell that she realised he had called it the 'dungeon', and not her room. He'd also said it was hers. And please. And he'd referred to the loss of his magic as 'True Love's Kiss', and not 'the actions of a spiteful minion of Regina's out to get my power with poison kisses'. She smiled. Progress.


	12. The fairest of them all

A few days after the Blue Fairy invaded, Belle informed him that he was being summoned by Snow White. It seemed the Red wolf had finally recommended she seek his assistance. He told Belle to take them to the location the runaway Princess had decided upon (for some reason people seemed to believe location was important when summoning demons), and conceal herself immediately. They found themselves in a boggy area, the thick, heavy mist clinging to them. The water nearby was muddied and deep, and they could hear some sort of vessel gliding over the water. Rumplestiltskin looked towards the sound, faint to his ears although Belle frowned as though it were loud, and soon a dark bulk slid forwards out of the night. The small boat docked at the crooked pier, the dim lanterns revealing the identity of the unskilled rower. Snow White had arrived.

She got out of the boat, preparing the rope to tie it up, when he had Belle move him into the far end of the boat. He always brought his dagger along on deals. The young woman was surprised but unafraid to find him before her, and more than a little shocked when he asked to buy her boat. When he saw Belle behind the hooded bruntette, making as though to shove her head into the edge of the boat, he waved her away. He'd taken her along on several deals, and she always acted a little hostile. Particularly towards women. And especially if they were attractive. The woman, tying up her boat, stood up when he revealed he was Rumplestiltskin. Who else would he be, way out here? He stepped a little unsteadily out of the bobbing boat and into the light, and her eyes widened at his grotesque appearance. He cupped her face with his hands. "You really are the fairest of them all, aren't you?"

-

Ice pierced her heart at his words. She did not pride herself on her looks, because beauty was skin deep and outward appearances meant little to her, but she had hoped she was the most beautiful to this man at least. But then, she was a monster now, prepared to shove young Princesses off docks with the slightest provocation. Or none, as the case may be. She asked for a cure, and Belle raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sick. Oh, she had a broken heart. Well so did Belle, and there, stood before them, was the reason for it. There were only so many times she could smile like nothing was wrong. Her quota for that was almost maxed out. Rumple offered to mend it (Snow's heart, but not Belle's), and pulled a clear vial from his pocket. He'd had her make that the week before, and told her to make sure that (under no circumstances) she drank it. She wondered what it did. He dipped the vial into the water, diluting it and swirling it about, and then lifted it back again, instructing her to fuse the water and potion together. She wondered why he'd done that; now the effects of the potion could be broken, by True Love's Kiss or an act of pure love. He tore out the Princess' hair and dipped it in, even though it wasn't necessary. He just needed it for 'the Curse'.

"Oh don't doubt yourself now dearie. Love makes us sick; haunts our dreams, destroys our days. Love has torn more apart than any war. This cure is a gift." Rumple said the Princess' name, much to her shock, and walked into the fog and away from the two women and the boat. Belle could hardly move. Was that what he thought of love? Truly? Had her love for him made him so unhappy that he thought her a disease? She blinked back tears. It was good to know she terrorised him even when he slept.

-

Rumplestiltskin sighed. Love truly was more destructive than war. His love for his son had sent the boy away and sparked a 300 year long journey of deceit and blackmail. His love for Cora, however brief and false, had created a heartless monster. His love for Belle had turned a beautiful woman into a creature most loathed. And torn him apart. She was brilliant, beautiful _and_ powerful now, and he was but a lowly Spinner, too much of a coward to fight in a war. She would soon realise he was unworthy of her love. And either find her way to the path of 'light' magic and purge him from her existence, or fall into the far easier ways of her predecessors and practice 'dark' magic, likely killing him for stealing her dagger the moment he let it out of his sight. The only reason she was still around, after all, was because he wouldn't let her go.

Over the course of the next weak things came to a peak between 'Snow and Charming', according to Belle. The feast in honour of the soon-to-be-wed Prince was not actually _attended_ by the Prince, much to the delight of his fiancee and ire of his 'father', and Snow White was becoming increasingly despondent. Belle herself was also despondent, and snappish, and violent. She shattered all the windows in the Dark Castle because her favourite character was killed off in her book, and he saw what she meant when she used to compare him to a petulant child. He sighed, and tried to focus on the surface before him. He had misplaced Snow's hair, and it was somewhere on this table... A small note appeared on the surface, interrupting his search. _Snow White is breaking into King George's castle as we speak to see her 'Charming'. Also, look to the left to find what you seek._ He was glad he had not picked the note up, for he found the dark hair mere inches to its left. This wasn't the same as Belle speaking to him, but he would take what he could get. Another note appeared soon after the first: _Snow got caught._ He rolled his eyes. And then... _Freed, hurrah!_ He knew she was being sarcastic.

-

Belle focused as best she could on Snow White's location, and soon managed to focus on her. Invading someone's mind was not something she enjoyed doing, but it wasn't like anything was happening. Snow White had a basket of flowers. Snow White got captured. Snow White met Dreamy (also arrested, poor Dreamy). Snow White was set free. Snow White got recaptured. Fun conversation with Georgie. He was trying to break them up. He was successful. She left Snow's mind when she found James. Too private. But having been within Snow's mind, even briefly, she felt the moment her heart shattered. It was immensely painful, and incredibly familiar. Days later, she also felt the void that came with the consumption of the potion.


	13. A loveless Princess, a lonely Prince

It was some time before he was able to make a deal that pertained to his curse again. Snow White was becoming increasingly cruel (as was Belle, with no serious way to expel her building magic), and Charming was going through a lot of trouble to find her. But soon enough Snow turned up in the Dark Castle, dragged along by a grumpy dwarf that damn near gave Belle a heart attack when he entered the tower room. He had been peacefully spinning, and she reading whilst shooting glances at him, but that would have to wait a while. He remained stood at his wheel, nonchalant, as the dwarf began shouting accusations, Belle having picked up a very dangerous potion to approach the Princess with. Of course Snow was meddling with the potions too, rifling through the fragile bottles, disinterested. He stared at his cabinet. He was so close to bottling love. If Belle still loved him, he could have tried bottling that.

Putting that out of his mind he focused on the raven-haired beauty. She wanted to kill the Queen, and he could help her with that. He picked up the Thief's bow, handling it carefully, and passed it on. It had only ever missed its mark once (and honestly he had done that on purpose). She would take down her target. If nobody stopped her.

Sure enough, mere hours later, an over confident Prince strode through the doors, calling out "Rumplestiltskin!" He sighed. All this prancing about was making him tired. He appeared behind the man as he disturbed the still-warm tea set on the table in the entrance hall. "Still dressing like a Prince, I see." That was a very nice cloak. It would make a nice blanket. He walked into the point of the sword, trusting Belle to blunt it (which she did. He bled only a little) as the 'Prince' made pointless requests, somehow coming to the conclusion he was Heartless-Snow's True Love. Only about as much as he was Cora's! He knocked the sword away as he had Gaston's, a "nyah!" quick to leave his lips. The false Prince needed a way to find his Snow White, and so he provided one. He took that nice cloak (and hair) as payment. The words he spoke to Charming were true, though. If his love started down that path, there would be no getting her back. It applied to _both_ of their loves. Unfortunately, Belle had to make the choice of 'light or dark' with no intrusions, or it wouldn't count. He rubbed his forehead. When had life become so complicated? Oh yeah. When he kissed her. He rolled his eyes. He reached out to Belle with his mind, told her to track Snow's progress with the Queen. Under no circumstances was she to intervene or make herself known.

-

She found Snow White in snowy woods, trekking to the concealed location Rumple had provided for her. Robin's bow was in hand, and it didn't take her long to find a safe place to rest in. She was testing the bow's string, observing the the way she would have to go to reach the Queen's future path when a gloved hand clamped over her mouth. She fought off her attacker, the tactless Prince Charming, and tried to shove the man away from her. Very effective, when he was twice her size. Belle rolled her eyes. Then the lug kissed her, and Snow screwed her eyes shut. Belle fluttered her fingers. She remembered when Gaston had forced a kiss on her after their engagement was announced, his lips rough and forceful and his hands wandering until her (now dead) maid had appeared. She involountarily growled. Snow looked up from glaring at Charming, and Charming looked up from his new vantage point among the tree roots. They searched for the sound, their gazes suspicious, but upon finding nothing returned them to each other, wary of the potential for beasties in the wood. Or at least Snow was wary; Charming was now unconscious.

She watched them for several hours more, bored to death until Charming finally came around to find himself tied to a tree. In that time she'd done all she could to creep the 'fairest of them all' out. Cool air on the back of her neck, clouds of breath where no one was breathing, odd sounds from all around. The Princess was skittish by the time her love was conscious, and about ready to knock someone out. He struggled against his bonds, very well tied, and Snow was shocked to find he called himself 'Charming'. He claimed their love for one another but Snow retaliated with poisoned words. Belle hoped she _would_ kill the Queen. Then _she_ wouldn't have to. She left, abandoning the horse she came on to a slow death in the cold. Commanded by the dagger to trail Snow, she set termites on Charming's bonds (that didn't count as intervening, right? Besides, this would be fun to watch).

The next morning, as they watched the 'Evil Queen' parade through the forest, Belle threw small rocks at the back of Snow's head. Just a few more minutes and the hag should be dead. Perhaps she should stop distracting the person with the bow? Probably best, since the rocks were getting steadily bigger. Killing Snow would definitely count as intervening. Snow fell from the sky and Snow trekked through the woods, Belle disturbing both kinds. She soon reached her concealed location, calmed her breath, nocked the arrow, drew back the string released and... Dammit Charming! The arrow pierced his shoulder and Snow abandoned the bow to run to him. Belle followed, severely agitated. He spoke words of love like Rumple never had ( _NO ONE COULD EVER, EVER LOVE ME!_ ) and she sighed as his breath puffed out before him. Snow's expression moved from angry to bewildered as her love came back to her, and Belle scowled. Why did the Princess deserve to find true happiness, but not her? Charming clutched his shoulder and Snow comforted him and then, she kissed him. Fate _really_ did not like her.

But not those two either, it seemed. King George's army approached them, forcibly separating them from one another. Belle smirked as James was thrown into a cage on wheels (ignoring the bad memories and pretending to be indifferent when Snow was back handed. She had memories of that too), and watched as he was carted away from his love. She told him she would always find him, and she could see that becoming their catchphrase. She followed Snow home despite this being the end of the mission, and the next day watched her trudge into a little cottage. She appeared inside, unseen (it was difficult to transform her own shape and maintain Rumple's scales, and she had no idea if he was with anyone right now. He had been using his collection of wands to transport himself and complete smaller deals), and watched as Snow apologised to Dreamy and his brothers. She was glad the Dwarf was well, but wondered what became of his lady love. Perhaps she was as disgusted by him as Rumple was her? She sighed as they each embraced her. No one, not even Rumple, had willingly touched her since all this began. And she felt bad contaminating him with her presence, and had hugged him only once.

After Snow White and the seven Dwarves had left, Belle transported herself to the tower room to find Rumple dropping hairs into a vial. They glowed, he grinned. He had bottled True Love. His uses for her were running out.


	14. True Love's Kiss (And less of a disaster)

When Belle got back she informed him that the False Prince had been caught by King George whilst Snow remained free. A couple of days later she informed him that Charming had become Regina's prisoner. It was unfortunate nobody informed Snow of the development, since she broke into George's castle to save him. Apparently, and Belle enjoyed the telling of this far too much, Snow's stepmother had offered her an ultimatum: eat a poisoned apple and fall under a Sleeping Curse, or Charming will die. Snow White, of course, ate the apple. He wondered how Regina got her hands on a Sleeping Curse, no doubt Maleficent's, and hoped she hadn't traded his Dark Curse away for it. He'd put a lot of effort into that. Anyway. A couple of days _after_ the runaway Princess was placed under the Sleeping Curse, her Prince escaped the Queen's prisons.

He'd been sat at the table in the Great Hall, long since mended, drinking tea out of his chipped cup when Belle informed him of an important development. Something had put her in a sour mood of late, and she'd made a habit of glaring at him. It was making him incredibly nervous. So whilst they were drinking tea, he was trying to ignore the way Belle glared at him when suddenly something only she could see distracted her. She snapped out of it a moment later, happy to inform him the false Prince was lost in the Infinite Forest. He shook his head at her enthusiasm, and motioned for her to take them there. And he had so been enjoying his tea.

-

When they arrived in the forest, emerald green all over the place, Rumple sat down on a log and waited. He had her change his outfit from a gold silk shirt and black leather pants to a black scaled waistcoat with a crimson shirt, brown leather pants, black knee high boots and Charming's now-tattered cloak. It was all very regal. When the Prince made his way back into the clearing, as he was bound to do eventually, she made Rumple visible just as he called out to him. The Prince whirled 'round, but did not seem surprised to find the supposed Dark One before him. Probably bored of all his meddling. He tried to leave but Rumple lured him back with the ring Belle had 'poofed' from the pouch he kept it in. Then Rumple had her enchant it, so that Charming could find his love. The man immediately drew his sword, however, proclaiming "No more deals!" Rumple dodged the first swing and caught the second, and she transported him away from the third.

Rumple was, of course, surprised to find himself a good few paces behind the Prince, but just because he didn't want her anymore didn't mean she was going to let him die. Their fighting became more frenzied, the swords clashing and elbows flying into guts. With an almighty shove Charming got Rumple away from him, and slashed him across the cheek. Belle leaned forwards, desperate to reveal herself and protect him, but knew she couldn't. She watched instead as Rumple grimaced and chuckled, swiping a hand over his cheek. That was her cue to heal him, and she did. Growing bored of this rage she threw the Prince against a tree and gave Rumple the man's sword, hoping to end the pointless fight. Eventually the Prince stood up and gestured for Rumple to talk. Finally.

-

On cue Belle summoned the vial of potion he had created from Snow and Charming's hair. He had allowed it to ferment a while, and now instead of two hairs entwined he had a bubbling mass of purple goo. The Prince went to take it but he drew it back. "Ah! Careful, this is all I have left." Not that he couldn't easily make more of it. It wasn't like Snow White was in any position to stop him snatching all her hair. "What do you know of True Love?" Why do all you royals have to be so condescending and insulting? You aren't even royal! "Well not as much as you perhaps, but not so little as you might think!" He snapped back. The Prince was smirking, like he'd make a joke. The woman he loved was behind the man and ready to snap his neck. He really aught to be careful. "You. You loved someone?" He blinked. Why was he still talking? "It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness..." His eyes wondered and found Belle, who blinked at him owlishly. "What happened?" The Prince snapped him back to the present. "I did something that changed her, and I don't think she can forgive me for that." He looked away from Belle, too much of a coward to see the confirmation in her eyes. "That's the the thing about True Love you see. It slips away easily. It's the most powerful magic, the only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs." Charming distracted him again, a distraction he was thankful for, and he ended the conversation with a giggle as he threw a golden egg, now containing the vial of True Love, at Charming's stomach.

They waited on the beach after transporting Charming to Maleficent's castle, listening to the beastly roars sounding from within. Fire flickered periodically before the stained glass windows as they watched, trying to ignore the growing tension between them. When a shape burst through the windows, followed by a stream of bright fire, they both leaped to their feet. As Charming swam to sure, slowly and about as gracefully as a dog, Belle leaned to whisper in Rumple's ear. _"I forgive you."_ It threw him off for the whole conversation with Charming. Finally though he managed to hand over the ring, and Belle cleaned the man up for his big moment.

-

And so they watched unseen as Charming, dressed in a flamboyant embroidered cloak of deep red and a frilly waistcoat decorated with lace, urged his horse faster across the narrow stretch of road. His black boots, mostly covered by black breeches, squeezed the grey sides of his steed periodically. Words of encouragement fell from his chapped lips, and were caught only by Belle. Blue eyes blinked back the tears that the biting wind forced on him, but he kept on riding, the sea air whipping past his face.

They followed him along the coast and into the forest. The trees, pine, grow thick and tall, backed by the mountains and blanketed in snow. The sun moved behind the rock and they had no need to conceal themselves as the Prince and his horse thundered through the forest, leaping over log and branch, racing toward their goal. The emerald of the forest surrounded them now, and direction is impossible to record with no landmarks about to offer guidance.

Though not obvious, every few moments, as he ducked beneath low hanging branches, the blonde man directed his gaze to his smallest finger, and action Belle was sure Rumple missed. Around that finger he had placed the band of silver and its glistening green gem, and with each stride the gem glowed brighter, glowing not from the light of the sun but rather from the magic within.

Some time later, indeterminable (but the horse was flagging and Rumple was becoming more hunched over), snow began to fall. It was light, lending a soft dusting to the already inches-thick layer on many of the upper branches. Charming continued to ride, oblivious to the cold, and as he came upon a clearing, his horse kicked up muddied slush. Upon seeing the group already collected in the clearing (a group of seven men, and there was Dreamy, frowning as per apparently-usual), Charming dismounted his noble steed and rushed forwards, breathing heavily, and Belle was finally able to stop hopping through the forest, or whatever that was supposed to be. One of the men, an older one by the looks of him, but you could never really be sure, turned and said; "You're too late." Then he turned his red-capped head back, to face the glass (what?) coffin once more. Charming's face was a mask of horror when his eyes met the sight within.

Snow lay with her long dark hair shadowing her porcelain skin, whiter than snow, a delicate smile lighting her even when sleeping. She was, in simple terms, dead. "No..." A whisper, nothing more, is muffled by the falling snow. "No!" Repeated, it becomes a yell. The silver embroidery of Charming's waistcoat shifted as he gazed upon her, fingers gently brushing the glass of the coffin. "Open it." The Dwarves gazed at him in sorrow, un-moving, and it is Dreamy who next speaks. "I'm sorry; she's gone." She watched a tear make its way down Charming's cheek, frowning at the open display of emotion. Was it normal to do that? She couldn't remember. "At least let me say goodbye."

The thickset men shared a look before drawing back and removing the delicate lid of the coffin from the woman's prone form. A single flake fell upon her porcelain cheek to mirror a tear, and the Shepherd knelt before his love to give her a final kiss. But the moment their lips joined a bright light leaped forth and encompassed the trees, Belle holding her breath as it passed over her, just in case. Birdsong could be heard faintly in the background, and she hadn't noticed until now that it had been gone, as the 'fairest of them all' took a breath, her chest heaving. She blinked, and focused on her Savior.

"You... you found me..." Her grin lit up her face as Belle rolled her eyes, and she reached out to cup her palm around the face of her 'Charming'. His grin matched her own as he caressed her arm and speaks "Did you ever doubt I would?" He helped her out of the casing as she answered him. "Truthfully? The glass coffin gave me pause." A slight chuckle is given in return.

"Well you never have to worry. I will always find you."

-

Rumplestiltskin scowled as the light pulsed over him. Always so dramatic.


	15. Mothers-in-law and magical paths

At some point after the whole 'Sleeping Curse' thing, Snow and Charming decided to take back the kingdom. Only King George's kingdom however. Trying to take Snow's kingdom back from Regina could only end in disaster. Of course if they were to decide to go against Regina, Belle would gladly help them kill her. They could decapitate her. Or hang her. Turn her bones to powder, her blood to ash? So many possibilities. And that was the problem Belle was facing today. That she had been facing for a great many days. She wanted to murder someone who had slighted her. Okay, nearly ruined her life, but still. It was becoming harder and harder for her to ignore the tempting power of the Dark One, harder to convince herself she did not want to follow the path of revenge. She needed to do something that would alter her magic's path, but there was nothing _to_ do. Rumple had forbidden her from answering the pleas of desperate souls (he was off answering them himself, fake scales on and fairy wand in hand), so now all she could hear were the cries of Snow, Charming, and the others most closely linked to the curse (including Regina, who was constantly moping about). Unfortunately she couldn't do anything that would alter the course of the curse, as per the dagger's instructions, and anything significant she was forced to do, as per the dagger's instructions. Only a choice made of her own free will would allow her to chose her magic's path, and hopefully quiet the voice of the Dark One.

She was in the Dark Castle (where else would she be?) dusting an odd golden fleece off to one side of the Great Hall when she felt it. The desperation of one faux-Prince, rolling and coiling in mounting waves. She summoned up an enchanted mirror Rumple had given her for this specific purpose, and directed it to find Charming. He was surrounded by George's men just before a small stone cottage, one situated in a series of fields and surrounded by a garden of wildflowers. He fought off the men successfully, without so much as a tear in his leather jerkin. What Charming unfortunately didn't see, and Belle did, was the stray arrow that soared past him and deep into the chest of a grey-haired woman who had stepped out of the safety of the cottage. Belle watched as Charming finished off the last guard, giving him a dramatic sword to the gut before leaving him to fall. It was then he looked up to see his mother clutching the offending projectile, and he rushed forwards just fast enough to catch her as she stumbled towards him. They fell to the ground together, the woman cradled in her son's arms.

In no time at all Snow was there, knelt at his side. With her was the greedy King's trusted General. The dark-skinned Leviathan was quick to announce the arrow in Ruth's body (for that was her name) was poisoned, a poison with no antidote or cure. Fairy magic would not be powerful enough to heal this, but Charming knew of a lake nearby that would surely be able to heal the wound. Belle watched as they loaded up a cart with the woman's frail body, the blood soaking her soft white clothes. She knew full well that the lake was now dried, an unfortunate side effect of killing the Lady of the Lake. But perhaps with her magic she could intervene?

For the remainder of the day and much of the next she watched as they trundled through the woods, Charming and Lancelot leading the cart as Snow remained by Ruth's side, comforting her and tending her wound. Although the forest path was worn but wide, their pace, regardless, remained slow and their journey lengthy, the path not the most direct route to Lake Nostos. As they went Belle was shocked and angry to learn that King George had 'cursed' Snow to be unable to have children. Surely the water of the lake would be able to heal her also? If she were to restore water to the lake, surely that would be able to heal the both of them, and define her magic's path? She watched them a little longer, thankful Rumple wasn't around to disapprove. Ruth's condition was worsening, and although she was angry the other three could be so callous and nonchalant in the face of death, she remembered all too well the day her mother died in her arms, the blood on Belle's hands, the last breath tumbling from her lips as Ogres roared in the distance. If Ruth died now, she knew Charming would blame himself. That and the pain Snow felt at not being able to bear a child decided it for her. As the barren sand came into view at the edge of the mirror, Belle shut it off and prepared herself for the journey.

She appeared at the lake, though visible to no one but herself, just in time to see disappointment spark on the faces of the travelers. She looked down at herself and focused on a glamour spell, altering her outward appearance. She forced her scales to recede and focused on lightening her hair, replacing her red leather and deerskin she wore to free the Yaoguai with the soft blue dress she wore to free Rumplestiltskin. Her black boots were replaced with her white buckled heels, and her hair drew back out of her face. She carefully stepped forwards, mindful of the effects sharp heels had on soft ground, and moved closer to the Prince and the General. The latter was saying that he had grown up by a lake, and that there 'may be water yet'. It was at this point she revealed herself, blue smoke dissipating into the air. "That there is." She gave a gentle, disarming smile and a small curtsy, a little offended when the two men drew their swords. They asked her identity and intention, and she informed them she was there only to offer her assistance. The Prince frowned at her. "We don't want your help." She smiled again and stretched her arm out to the side, parallel to the ground. She sent a surge of power into the dust, deep down to the remains of the lake. With a deep rumble to water leaped up in a powerful spray, and she moved herself from its path as the Leviathan shifted back from its advance. She found herself behind the Prince, his sword now lowered, and gently said "But I offer it anyway." He turned to her in shock and she smiled kindly at him, motioning to the lake.

She was glad he had leaped forwards with his water-skin, because if he'd turned on her with his sword, her path would probably have ended up going in the opposite direction, Rumple's curse be damned. The three now gathered around Ruth's rough cart, Snow supporting her soon-to-be mother-in-law's head as Charming brought the water to her lips. The effect was instantaneous, the woman immediately adopting a more serene expression, her breathing less labored and her eyes with a hidden shine. Snow helped her sit, directing her thanks to a Belle who had remained nearby to watch, enjoying the angered yells of the Dark One as it was dragged a little further the back of her mind. She fluttered her fingers at the thanks, her magic coming more freely and no longer trying to get her to harm instead of heal. As Ruth finally managed to get herself semi-vertical, her worn hands removing the bloodied bandages at her chest, she beamed at her son as he beamed back. "Thank the Gods for that. I was worried, for a moment, that I might not live long enough to see you marry Snow."

Snow smiled as she leaned forwards, quietly whispering "Of course you will." Then she turned to the Leviathan. "Lancelot, does a disgraced member of the Round Table still have the power to perform a wedding?" Lancelot gave a wide smile ("It would be my honour") and turned to Belle, the only one of their number who still remembered her presence. "I don't suppose you could help with that, could you?" She grinned mischievously, more than happy to do so. Not five minutes later, with the sparkling lake as a backdrop, the two lovers stood beneath an arch of wildflowers, matching blooms gripped tightly in Snow's hand. Belle and Ruth, the former invited to stay partly because she had saved the life of the latter, and partly because she was already there, sat on a wooden bench a few paces away, Ruth beaming and gripping tightly on Belle's arm, Belle uncaring of the bruises that action would cause. Lancelot officiated, speaking of a custom in his land that would have the bride and groom drink from a shared chalice, to symbolise eternal life. He scooped the water up from the lake, and it was a discrete and sneaky way to heal Snow without letting Charming know there was something wrong.

When the brief ceremony was over, Charming now kissing his beaming bride, Ruth embraced Belle tightly, overjoyed to see her son so happy at last. Belle awkwardly returned the embrace; it had been a long time since anyone had touched her, longer since that it had been someone that wasn't Rumple, and longer still someone that didn't mean her any harm.

Sometime later, as Belle prepared herself for the taxing journey back to the Dark Castle (taxing because magic was still new to her, and she paid the price herself), she watched as Charming held the swinging medallion over his wife's palm. It swung east to west, and Ruth came to embrace Snow after Charming had gone to prepare the horse for the journey back to the cottage, so that she may be dropped off before they went to continue the war for their kingdom. Now Belle had another piece of vital information to give to Rumplestiltskin and she smiled. Snow White and Prince Charming were going to have a daughter.

Now all they needed was her name.


	16. Magic speaks quietly now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an extra chapter to go with the last, when Rumple realises what happened :)

He noticed the change immediately. He'd been spinning when she'd bounded in, watching the gold swirl 'round and wondering when his beloved caretaker would return. She opened the doors with a flourish, a forgotten plume of smoke abandoning its post at her feet. She skipped across the room, grabbing his shoulder to haul him from his stool and tightly embrace him. Before he had the chance to return the contact she was gone, 'poofing' herself out the room. He could hear her waltzing about outside, and knew immediately that she had found a way to free herself.

Of course, a sorcerer of any kind must always try to ignore the seductive voice of magic when it calls to him, and for anybody it can be near impossible to prevent yourself from falling into the habit of dark magic. It was just so much easier to use. But the Dark One found ignoring these cries much more difficult; the curse itself wanted power, wanted to remain, and that meant no weaknesses allowed. There was no helping others, no free deals, just the darkness. If Belle had managed to change her magic's path to light magic (meaning what was considered 'pure magic' (such as Fairy Dust) would no longer react badly to her), she could now use her magic as she wished. She would still hear the call of dark magic but it would be a whisper not a scream, and much more easily forced to the back of the mind.

And since she was not morally corrupt, and had no one about to do the corrupting, and had no wishes for power or revenge (except against Regina, but her downfall was a current work in process), Belle would probably manage to keep her hidden darkness in check for a long time. And now that Belle was herself again, joyful and skipping around the castle in a daze, Rumplestiltskin couldn't be happier. Except if she still loved him. That would certainly be nice. If only he hadn't cursed her.

And didn't plan to do so again.


	17. Almost executed, but somehow not quite

Some months later, long after Rumple had figured out what Belle had done to banish her darkness, and long after he'd gotten over the insult of not being invited to the secret, unofficial wedding of the century, things with Regina were finally coming to a head. The witch had finally joined the war against Snow and Charming, having her troops attack in unison with King George's, but even with all her magic they were losing. King George's men were not particularly loyal, many choosing to follow their once-General and the kind-hearted Prince than the cruel King who would behead his own (supposed) son. A great many of them had switched sides during the battle, and on one particular day the entirety of George's cavalry and legion of archers had turned on the infantry, and then joined Prince 'James' to take back the surrounding villages. Regina herself was too hasty in her orders, and it seemed no one had ever bothered to teach her how to play five steps ahead. She sent men into situations that were often desperate, and fought not to win but to kill Snow White. Her tactics were miserably unsuccessful, and she was losing an impressive number of men to one soldier alone; granted that 'one soldier' was a werewolf fiercely loyal to her Queen, but still.

On a particularly dark night late in the summer, when guards fell asleep in the overwhelming heat, Belle was more than happy to wake him up to inform him that King George had fallen (but wasn't dead; they wouldn't do that), and the kingdom now belonged to Snow White and Prince Charming. She sat with him for a while, somehow not noticing how inappropriate it was for her to be in his bed chambers at this time of the night, waiting for any other news her magic would provide. She stared at a blank piece of wall, her gaze not shifting, until she spoke words that were surely not her own. "And now because of your blood-lust, the kingdom is ours". It seemed his little Belle had been invading the minds of the True Love couple again. He smirked at her when she snapped out of it and said "It seems Regina had been captured." She blinked at him, still a little dazed from her excursions, and he shooed her out of his room. "Excellent dearie. Now scat so I can get some beauty sleep."

The next morning, the sun high in the sky and the council back at their table, Belle sat, concealed, at the back of the War Room as Snow and her allies discussed Regina's fate. Many, it seemed, were in favor of her death, but wary of her magic. A decision had to be made soon, as her magic could not be restrained for long. Belle, managing to keep a lid on her own darkness, had to agree with the council and their decision. Regina was far too dangerous to be set loose on the world. She would have to die. She wondered what repercussions this would have on Rumple's curse, but surely he had foreseen a scenario in which the Evil Queen did not live long enough to cast his curse?

She remained behind to see the aftermath of such a decision, the Rheul Ghorm lingering just in front of Belle's face before she shook herself of the bad feeling and left the room, and was surprised to discover Snow White did not want to see her stepmother die. Even her Charming was doubtful, but she had to be stopped _now_.

Later in the day, the arrows prepared, Regina was taken to her execution, gasps filtering through the crowd. Rumple stood, hood concealing his face, behind a large collection of angry peasants. His hand was wrapped tightly around Belle's, and she stood unseen a hair's breath away from an irate werewolf. The tall brunette would turn her head every time Belle shifted, suspicious of the noise. Her focus was soon caught, as was everyone's, when Regina began to voice her regrets. Rumplestiltskin was surprised to say the least, and shifting his head so he could see the Princess leaning forwards eagerly in her seat. It was all going so well until Regina claimed to regret not killing _more_. But it seemed even then the fair Princess couldn't watch her die.

The execution was halted, much to both his delight and irritation. His curse would almost definitely be cast now, but it certainly would be nice for the witch to have died on this glorious day. The defeated Queen was taken back to her tower, the Princess leaving and the crowds dispersing with angry mutters. Hours later, when darkness had collected in the sky, Snow White was outside once more. He sat with Belle on the two thrones in the courtyard, concealed by magic and unseen by the distressed young woman, discussing their next move. They watched her drift across the stonework, disturbed from their conversation, and fiddle with with the padlock Regina had been chained to.

Belle watched as Rumple shifted in his seat to face Snow, startling her from her musings. She revealed him with her magic, and was surprised by how quickly he came up with a plan, experiencing an odd warmth when he trilled his 'R's. He offered Snow a way to test Regina's potential for change, and immediately she began to formulate a way to make this happen. How _exactly_ it happened would depend on what Rumple said next, but she could work around his words. The thing was Snow had an opportunity, and Rumplestiltskin's deals were hard to resist. And so not minutes later Snow was climbing the stairs of a winding tower to reach Regina's cell, Belle following right behind to see what was done. The key dagger was concealed in Snow's sleeve as she spoke to her stepmother, bating her and luring her out, to ultimately set her free.

The older woman was, noticeably and understandingly, confused. She stood, warily, walking with a guarded expression to Snow. Unfortunately she did not leave her evil in her cell, and gripped Snow by the throat. In a moment of panic she drew the knife and Belle considered helping until she recalled the plan. Regina took the knife, Snow struggling for breath, and then plunged it into the petite, raven haired girl's side. It went in with no trouble, and came out with no blood, and Snow's expression was broken and sad. No longer would Regina be able to harm them in this land, for she had failed their test, and now she was banished. Belle watched with barely concealed glee (except by her magic, so no one but Rumple could see her so it didn't matter) as the guards transported her away.

Weeks later, Regina once more in some disgustingly dark dress with her hair slicked back (at least her cleavage wasn't on show), Rumplestiltskin bounced into her tower. Or rather, Belle did. It was far too dangerous for him to go into the dragon's lair, particularly when the dragon was angry, so Belle went in his stead, wearing his face. He watched through an enchanted mirror as she interacted with this, the woman that terrified her so much, informing her of the way to get her revenge. It seemed today was Snow and Charming's wedding, and neither of them had been invited. (Of course, Belle had; Ruth had written a note to 'the woman who saved my life' and placed on the parchment a single drop from Lake Nostos. But she wouldn't be going.) Now they were seemingly moping together, considering ways to destroy the sickening couple 'in another land'. And so when the idea was planted into Regina's head, Rum-Belle vanished in the signature crimson smoke, leaving the Evil Queen to dress for the party.

Rumplestiltskin was immensely proud of his Belle's performance, and shut off the mirror so he could wait for Belle's return. No doubt she would drift in from the shadows to see if she could scare him, put out since she had missed the royal wedding (which she had really already attended), now much more lavish, and couldn't see Regina's no doubt dramatic announcement. He smiled to himself. Perhaps the one day a wedding they would attend together would be their own. Belle had been embracing him a lot lately, and surely that was a good sign? He already had a ring; if he could just keep her in one place for long enough they could have a civilized conversation about it, and the fact that their True Love might yet remain.


	18. I'm glad I crashed the wedding (but I don't think Belle's impressed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas/New Year/Various Holiday everyone!  
> And for everyone that watches them, the (sort-of) return of Doctor Who and Sherlock! Huzzah!

When Rumple told her they were going to tell Cinderella her part of their deal was coming to a head, she was excited. When she realised it was at a wedding, she was overjoyed. It sounded odd, what with her being a Lord's daughter and everything, but she had never actually attended a proper one before. Few had married in her kingdom whilst the Ogre's War was going on (and that had started in her childhood), and even fewer were extravagant enough to require her presence. Even fewer she would have been allowed to go too. And she'd missed Snow and Charming's 'real' one, so this lavish ball with the spectacular decorations and the beautiful ballgowns brought her a great amount of delight.

They arrived in the main courtyard in magical disguise, the two looking as different as possible from their original selves. The only person who would recognise Rumple was Cinderella herself. To everybody else he was a tall, solidly built man with a long dark ponytail that fell far between his shoulder blades. He was dressed all in tan leather, with layers of white and of gold. His boots ended above his knee, not that you could see them, and his sleeves ended past his fingertips. His expression was grave, emphasised by gray eyes, but kindness was clear on his face. Upon his head he wore an intricate circlet of silver _Her_ hair became a silvery blonde, of impressive length. It fell down her back in soft waves. She felt taller, and had a sneaking suspicion her face had sharper features, higher cheekbones. Her dress was silvery blue and beautiful, catching the light but not obviously so. Her shoes were a more heavily decorated version of her buckled heels from back 'before'. She wore a circlet too, also silver, but more delicate with woven strands. Rumple strolled across the courtyard as she gazed at his new face and took in his new form, and introduced them to the guard as 'Lord Elrond and the Lady Galadriel'. With a small glamour spell they were ushered in through the tall entryway.

-

When they entered the people were dancing, and it was easy to locate his target in the crowd. Rumple danced around with Belle for a while, enjoying her being close and being able to look into her eyes. He had a sneaking suspicion that if he wasn't careful he would be falling even deeper in love with her. Not that his love had ever been _shallow_. She had certainly seemed more like herself lately, a little lighter perhaps, and he imagined it had to do with the 'Ruth incident'. He knew that was the first significant magic she had performed, and for one so powerful that would be very telling to the nature of her magic. Perhaps she would be the first 'Light One'? As long as she didn't succumb to killing him as soon as she realised what he had done (was about to do) to young Cinderella.

They inched closer to the glowing bride, looking for an opportunity, one that was stolen when the beaming Snow White barged her way in. Oddly cheerful for a woman whose stepmother recently tried to kill her. Also oddly cheerful considering said stepmother just threatened to steal everybody's happiness away. Good to know the Royals can keep smiling in such difficult times. They bowed, and twirled, and here was his opportunity. He released Belle so she might keep spinning, but knew she was listening to all that he said. "I'm proud of you too." He watched the breath leave the woman's body. He was almost sorry to have ruined her wedding. But then again, not really. He circled her in the middle of the dance floor, and prepared to ask his price.

-

He asked for something the Princess did not yet possess, and she knew that bad feeling from so long ago was right on the mark. It was something he knew was coming and the words he said just before he spun the blonde away were ones she had so hoped he wouldn't utter. "Your firstborn." His words had been harsh and unforgiving, and the grip he now had on her arm was tight as he dragged her off, as though he knew she wished to fight back. She turned back to the bride whilst the ice ran through her veins, and realised the woman was looking right at her. She could see her true self; the scaled self. Her expression was shocked and broken and confused, and Belle mouthed a wordless (worthless) apology as she was dragged away.


	19. Lies were all part of the plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops, sorry guys XD Posted this in 2013 by mistake

Finally, he was almost there, almost to his Baelfire. Cinderella was summoning him to change his deal, or summoning Belle and giving her a headache, and he could hardly wait to get started. To get finished. He'd told Belle to fetch him when any of the royals called, and she'd come to him hesitantly a few moments before. She had been very angry with him in the past few months, ever since Ella's wedding, speaking to him only when she had to. He felt as though he had ruined something spectacular (again), but soon he would be able to explain it all. Perhaps put that ring to use. For now he put it out of his mind, had her transport them to the dark orchard where Cinderella was waiting.

Mist filled the air as he stood by the treeline, Belle stood directly in front of him, glaring, breathing in his face. "You're starting to show." He had registered Belle's gaze flickering as someone moved up behind him, but the brunette soon returned her glower to him. Ah, if looks could kill. The Princess came from between the trellises, lowering the hood from her golden locks. Her stomach swelled with her unborn child, and he couldn't stop the image his mind created of _Belle_ pregnant. With his child.

-

She watched as he stalked towards the future Queen with his roundabout steps, flinging his flask over his shoulder. Twins? There were no twins. There was one child, a healthy little girl, blonde like her parents. She called out to Rumple, but he silenced her. She huffed at him. He hopped forwards, his hands fluttering, and gently rested his hands on the woman's stomach. Would he treat _her_ with such care if she was pregnant? Or would he accuse her of trying to trick him or replace his lost son, and throw her out again? The Princess was now offering to give up _both_ children and Rumple was so enthused; she just _had_ to tell him there was only one. He raised his hand, a gesture that confused Cinderella, and commanded her to stay put. But now the Princess was striding forwards, spouting lies, and Belle reached out to her. If she could just... Rumple's face fell as she said they could always have more children, and she knew he was thinking of his son. The Princess came prepared, however, and presented a lengthy contract to him.

She was beyond surprised when he didn't even bother to read it like he normally did, only took the quill (admiring the object she could hear humming) and signed at the bottom. Almost instantly he was shrouded in light, any magic he possessed immediately cut off from him. The dagger's commands fell away, since the thing was concealed within his vest, but she was thankful his fake-scaled skin and healed leg remained. The ruse was difficult to maintain, but he would be free soon, of that she would make sure. As Cinderella screamed her husband's name, Belle screamed her love's. She dashed forwards, and realised a little late that she had dropped her shroud and trodden it into the dirt. Cinderella and her Prince could now see her. The blonde backed away from her as she shook Rumple's arm and yelled at him, trying to pick apart his magical shell. But all too soon a carriage drew up, and she feared also being caged. She heard Rumple in her mind telling her to continue screaming and, with no better plans, she did.

The Princes (Charming came along, but didn't recognise her, thank the Gods) leaped off their horses to point their swords at her, so she screamed at them too. All present covered their ears, and eventually the Shepherd asked "What in the name of the Gods is this?" Rumple gave a sharp toothed grin. "This, dearie, is a banshee." Well. That was rude. "Supposed to come and let me know when my deals aren't going how they're planned to. Of course it arrived a little late." He glared at her and she screamed back, affronted. It? "How do we shut it up?" The gruff voice was another one she recognised, and she found the grumpier version of Dreamy before her once more. "Oh don't worry. They don't last long. It'll disappear in a moment or two." He looked pointedly at her and she heard his voice echo in her mind. _"It is essential to my plan that I become caged, but I wish for you to remain free. Please, my Belle, remove yourself from this place."_

-

She stared at him sadly and her screams died down. Now she just stared and he saw tears collecting on her lashes. Not five seconds later she removed herself with magic, a dramatic blue swirl arriving to collect her, and he prayed to all the Gods that she would return to the castle. For the first time since they made the connection, Rumplestiltskin heard her voice in his mind, and his heart swelled to burst. _"I love you, Rumple. Please be careful."_ And then they dragged him into his cage, and the moment was ruined. It took no time at all for the simpering blonde to come and demand her Thomas back. "I did warn you dearie; all magic comes at a price!"


	20. Illusions are a game we play

It took a long time to convince Belle that it needed to be done. After he was placed in the cell she came to find him, spending days listening from the shadows of the castle until finally she heard mention of the underground dungeon. She immediately tried to break him out until he explained, several times, how it was important to the curse that he be there. The royals had to believe him powerless, and only then would they speak with him, deal with him. The Savior's name was his primary reason for being there. He'd planned for it to be the spark that would reawaken him to his true self in the new world, and Snow White would only reveal it if she believed him to be powerless. Of course mentioning his 'true self' meant he then had to explain to Belle what the curse entailed. When he had finally convinced her to stop trying to free him, he got her to sit down so he could explain this new world to her.

No one would remember their true lives, save Regina, for twenty-eight years. They would be trapped in time, unaging, waiting for the Savior (Snow White and Charming's True Love child) to come and set them free. No one would be aware of the curse or their true selves until the curse was broken. Then he explained how he had made the curse, and manipulated Regina into a position where she could cast it. Belle was understandably horrified, and she didn't come back to visit him for a further three days, during which he was visited by a gloating Regina. When Belle finally returned he explained why he needed the curse, and she was glad he had at least done it for a legitimate reason, and not because he thought it would be fun. Then he told her stories, so many stories, about his Baelfire. She didn't forgive him, couldn't, when he refused to give up the dagger, but she understood his actions a little better.

To be honest she was glad he had a reason for rejecting her, since he needed his magic to find his son, but he wished she would have told him that before. And to keep her free will from her was a cruel thing. She might still have helped with the curse, if he hadn't made it quite so awful for people. Twenty-eight years in a state of purgatory... And to have manipulated Regina into such a thing was truly evil. She could understand now how hard it must have been to fight the magic within him, and the way it lured you into the darkness, but to force others onto such a path, to awaken the cruelties in their heart and make it so they couldn't resist... She didn't talk to him for a long time after that, either.

A few weeks into Rumple's stint in the dungeon, it became apparent they were going to have to come up with a new method of communication. When Belle visited, invisible as always, Rumple would sit in a corner of his cell and whisper to her as discretely as he could. But he was getting tired keeping up the appearances of the Dark One (who rarely slept), and was having trouble dealing with the vile food that was provided. She suggested using illusionary magic to give him the chance to rest, and a few days after her suggestion she came back with a plan. Rumple agreed that it might work, and so she began to put it in place.

He watched as Belle constructed, with her magic, fake bars to the cage a little further down the dark tunnel. They did not block magic, since they were not truly there, so she could pass through them to the real bars (which could not be seen past the fake ones) in order to talk to Rumplestiltskin. She also created a Rumple-Puppet that, with a lot of effort, could pass into and out of the real cell, and could also touch the fake bars. As an unliving entity it had the energy to leap about and terrify the guards at all hours of the day, and it meant the real Rumplestiltskin could no longer seen. Belle dropped the glamour she had placed on him so he had his human skin once more, and also the healing spell on his leg, so she might have more energy to fuel the illusion. At meal times she would bring _real_ food, breads and meats and actual fresh water, as well as sometimes tea and biscuits, so that he would not have to feast on worms and slime.

He was still miserable though, because every day he would be subjected to the guard's taunts and glares, and Belle's haunted expression whenever she came to sit with him. He saw her less often now, for perhaps an hour or so a day in comparison to watching her flit about the Dark Castle all the time, and found himself immeasurably lonely. Their conversations were hurried and brief, subdued over a rushed meal she had brought him. Sometimes they were cut short by a visit from the Royals, or even the Blue Fairy. Belle always avoided the tunnel at those times, lest the invasive gnat learn the Dark One was traipsing about in the darkness. Her refusal to bow down to the dark nature of his (now her) curse meant she was more tired than he would have been doing the same magic, since she battled herself constantly; it didn't help that she was new to magic altogether. In his Belle's expression, masked by the fear, was also an immense sadness. He told himself it was because she was lonely; because she was cursed; because she missed her father (banned by the dagger to speak with him), but he rather wished he had found the chance to tell her he loved her back.


	21. The smallest details are the most important

A man shielded by a dark cloak led the royal couple deep underground to the rank. As their guide he held the only light, a burning torch, and he warned the two to stay in the shadows, and not let the man learn their names. Then the guard called out to him "Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin! I have a question for you." His voice was deep and commanding, and echoed across the cavern. The voice that answered was mocking and high. "No, you don't." A lithe figure dropped from its place at the top of the bars of its cage, and landed with a soft _thud_ on the dusty floor. "They do." The figure was crouched and animalistic. "They do. Snow White, and Prince Charming!" His voice soared higher in pitch, the mockery evident. A maniacal laugh fell from betwixt crooked teeth.

"You insult me! Step into the light and take of those ridiculous robes." The man motioned them forwards. He chuckled as they followed his command and moved closer to his prison. "That's much better." When the Prince tried to speak the strange man cut him off with a yell, preempting their purpose. "You want to know about the Queen's threat." As the guard moved forwards and the light fell upon the prisoner's face, and his reptilian eyes glinted in the firelight. His expression was cruel and matched his voice, his skin mottled and grey, the light bouncing off it. 

When the young Queen spoke he cut her off too and said, with a deep and serious voice "Fear not!" His voice became higher "For I can ease your minds..." Then he grasped the bars with one hand and lowered the other. "But... It's going to cost you something in return." He nodded and gave a grin, his stained teeth visible now. The King refused but his wife stepped forwards. "What do you want?" The man acted as if to consider it. "Ohh.. The name of your unborn child?" His eyes were wide and staring, and where the man refused the woman said "Deal." 

And so the prisoner told them what they wanted to know. "You'll all be in a prison, just like mine." He motioned to the dank cell around him. "Only worse. Your prison, all of our prisons, will be time. Time will stop, and we will be trapped. And everything we hold dear, everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity. While the Queen celebrates, victorious at last. No more happy endings." Throughout his small speech Rumplestiltskin's volume varied, his pitch climbing and falling like a feather on a breeze. Venom was poured into his voice at the end, and it was only when he said 'everything we love will be ripped from us' that his eyelids flickered closed for the barest of moments, his focus shifting to the right for little more than half a second. 

At the Queen's question he told how they would be saved, that the thing 'growing inside her belly' would be the one to free them all. The King struck the demon's hand away, and was thus tutted at, the prisoner saying "The infant is our only hope. Get the child to safety, and on its (there was a pregnant pause) _28th_ birthday, the child will return. The child will find you. And the final battle will begin!" The excitement re-entered his voice, and manic laughter filled the cave once more. It was only as the couple began to leave that the imp called out for them to stop. They had a deal, and he wanted her name. Fair Snow turned back, pain in her eyes and said "Emma. Her name is Emma." And with that, they left. 

What none of them saw, however, not the King nor the Queen nor even the guard, was the shift in the illusion before them. As soon as the name was spoken there was a brief flicker, and had they looked closely they would have seen Rumplestiltskin shift to the back of his prison for a short moment, before the wall came back up. Because the _real_ Rumplestiltskin sat at the back of the cavern on a small stone outcropping, his hair straight and his skin smooth, his brown eyes staring at a staff on the floor. In his hands he held a crooked dagger, running it along his fingers.

The cage he was kept in cut off any magic, but the dagger's commands remained in place, and so the person just outside the cage was forced to maintain the magic. Belle did so gladly. The Dark One's curse had finally overwhelmed her body, and where at first her scales had been ever shifting and rough, her skin was now softly pebbled and gold. She held her arms before her and controlled a puppet-Rumplestiltskin that could interact with those beyond the bars. The bars the puppet touched were not really there, tangible only through magic. The illusion had to be maintained that Rumplestiltskin had the power, when truly it was lost to the woman just outside the bars. Her magic had flickered when the name was uttered because she made a point to remember it, and secured it in the back of her mind. 

When all others had left the dark space she left the illusion in its place, the puppet perched atop his bars once more. It concealed her movements just outside the real bars. She reached through them and Rumplestiltskin reached back, now stood up once more. She sighed as the man leaned heavily on his staff as he moved towards the woman and said "Not long now, my sweetheart, and the dagger shall be yours again, and Baelfire shall be mine." 


	22. A last minute deal, the last one he'll make

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Posted it in 2013 again, well done me :)

Belle sat in the tunnel beyond the fake bars where Rumple-puppet perched. The real Rumplestiltskin was crouched beyond her, in the real cell. As the one with the actual magic, she was the first to become aware of the new presence, and she scowled when she realised who it was. She 'activated' the Rumplestiltskin-puppet, controlling it with her mind from where she was sat on the filthy floor. The man himself sat in a corner of his cell, scrawling on a long piece of parchment. "It's just us, dearie." Belle made her puppet say. The puppet shifted from its shadows, making hand gestures, and inviting Regina to show herself. He swayed forwards, watching, as a rat became the Queen. A befitting creature she chose to portray herself as. She informed him that the curse wasn't working, and the True-Rumple looked up in surprise. He discretely shifted over to the edge of his cell, closer to the scaled woman. His crooked dagger remained in the corner. The movement was masked by the puppet's hand movements, and his mocking voice. He leaped forwards to the fake bars, passing through the real ones, to inform Regina of the royal couple's visit. She was suitably concerned. More so when he informed her their child would break the curse, since all curses could be broken. True-Rumple stared (glared) pointedly at his companion as her puppet said this. 

Before they gave her the information she needed to cast the curse, the hidden pair asked for conditions to be placed in Regina's curse. They had discussed them for a while, but in the end Rumplestiltskin had the final say. Belle had remained in the dark about it, and used a simple spell to allow him to control the voice of the puppet. It was too much effort to project evil cackling _all_ of the time, after all, so she left the puppet to itself most of the time. The Puppet said "I want comfort. I want a good life. Everything I cherish will be safe and secure in its rightful place." The Queen hastily replied with "Fine. You'll have an estate, be rich." The Puppet interrupted her. "I wasn't finished; there's more. In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason..." At this point one hand released a bar, and his voice lost its serious tone. True-Rumple continued to whisper under his breath the words the puppet must say. "...you will heed my every request. You must do what ever I say..." He hoisted himself up and pointed at her, his voice becoming more menacing "...so long as I say... please!" He cackled at her then, a warped expression on his face. The dark woman reminded him he would remember not a thing, so he stated there was no harm in agreeing. She grinned, victorious, and accepted the terms. Both the woman and the prisoner snorted into their palms, and their Puppet inadvertently did the same.

But it didn't take long for the Puppet to become enraged (it had some semblance of free will, so made flamboyant gestures without instruction), and then it had Regina by the throat. It was the curse to end all curses, and she had sacrificed a _horse!?!_ The woman barely reacted to his closeness, or the illusionary foul breath the puppet had. She asked what her sacrifice need be, and he told her it must be 'the heart of the thing you love most'. After more taunting, the Queen said she was willing to go "As far as it takes", a face already in her mind. The Puppet sent her on her way. She marched off into a dramatic plume of smoke.

Shortly after the Evil Queen was gone, and the woman's expression had stopped shifting between horror and faint glee at the prospect of Regina murdering the thing she loved most, Belle asked "Does this mean that you cherish me?" True-Rumple raised his head at speed to look at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He scowled at her and shuffled back to his corner, half-filled parchment in hand, and said "Not now Belle, dearest. Not now." She grinned at him with victory.


	23. Spinning wheels and rural towns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update last week guys!! I was super ill -_-' But here is the final chapter! Huzzah!  
> A part 2 should come... at some point.. :D

Belle sat in her little library, immensely bored, as per usual. With no Rumple around she had had to find _other_ ways to amuse herself, and with no need for eating or sleeping, she'd read quite a lot of the Dark Castle's books in quite a short time, successfully giving herself a headache. She sighed and shut the book she was reading. Not long after Rumple had been imprisoned she had begun seeking out other people's company and, after deciding visiting her father would be too painful (and completely against the dagger's (Rumple's) commands), she had settled on visiting Ruth. The first time Belle had visited the older woman (outside of her son's impromptu wedding, and before Rumple had been captured (he was busy that day)), she had been incredibly surprised. After the (first) wedding Ruth had been moved to a safer cottage in a different part of the woods, where King George's men would not be able to find her. Lancelot had been placed as the live-in guard. Belle had by-passed him, however, and appeared at Ruth's table as the woman cooked. She had been more than a little shocked to find Belle (back in her blue dress and human skin) sat at her table, and alas her crockery suffered for it.

After helping to clean up the mess and recook the food (eggs, it seemed Ruth had chickens now), Belle had been invited to sit, and invited to talk. Ruth soon got it out of her that Belle had been lonely, and had decided to visit what she hoped was a friend. She was thankfully soon assured of this, and so was not stabbed when Lancelot chose that moment to walk in. Over the next few weeks she would visit at random times, happy to help out around the cottage and with the sheep and goats (and chickens) Ruth owned. She talked the 'Leviathan' into giving her sword lessons (which did not end particularly well for the tree she was attacking), but thankfully with a little practice at the Dark Castle afterwards, Belle was able to master archery within three visits after asking. Truthfully, she had nothing better to do.

The determination to learn a much more complicated skill came later, after the _real_ wedding, Rumple's capture, and Ruth's move to the castle. She no longer tended the sheep, at Charming's insistence, but had filled her new room with everything from her cottage, sneakily asking Belle for a little favor. Said favor consisted of arranging the room _exactly_ like the cottage, shrinking the bed from its ridiculous size, and adding in a small wood stove, just because Ruth enjoyed cooking and baking. It also involved transferring Ruth's spinning wheel across, which became Belle's new focus. It had been out of sight in the small cottage, but in the large room had pride of place, since Ruth had little to do with her days, what with no work and her awkwardness about court. So, after several days of just watching Ruth spin, Belle managed to pester a lesson out of her. And then another. And then another. After replicating Rumple's wheel back at the castle (it felt odd to use his), she kept up the practice even after her days with Ruth were spent doing other things, such as teaching the other woman the many (dull) rules of court. She considered doing some spinning now. Even after all the hours she had spent on it, she still needed more practice, and wanted to have mastered at least the basics before telling Rumple she was learning. Alas the wool that she spun (span? spinned?) was always uneven in its thickness and texture. She sighed. Spinning practice it was.

Except, the air felt strange. And tasted strange. And _sounded_ strange. There was an odd rumbling around her, a strange static build-up in the stagnant air of the library. Belle frowned, extending her arms. The air felt thicker, the static charge revealing itself to be a large mass of magic being shoved into some obscure corner, dashing to where it was most welcome. She transported herself to the doorway to the castle and found, as she had suspected there would be (and hoped there wouldn't be), an enormous roiling cloud of darkness, forcing its way forwards. It leaped over trees and seeped into buildings, encompassing the beasts and birds it caught up with. She watched it come closer, the air filling up with the rotten smell of sulfur. She knew Rumple would already have been taken by the curse, the liberated castle (and by extension its underground dungeon) were closer to its center, and Belle watched as the green smoke came to collect her too. It swept over her where she stood, and she closed her eyes against the strong winds and blinding glare. The first thing that changed was the smell.

The rotten eggs were gone, now something smelt flowery, a light smell that seemed to cling to her person. Roses, perhaps. There were also books, so many books, and the smell of snow was replaced by a damp smell, like summer rain. Then the feeling. Gone was the tingling across her skin and the clinging of her leather. Now it felt like her sleeves and gloves were gone, her deerskin breeches replaced by a flowing skirt. The sensation was odd, since she (and her clothes) looked the same. She could even feel her hair loose down her back, although she could see it in its over-the-shoulder braid. She could also feel her legs move; she was walking. And the taste, now. The fresh air was replaced by air that tasted faintly of dust (from the books, perhaps?), although when she felt cold metal in her palm the taste became fresher. The cold left her hand, and she surmised she was now outside again. The air felt, smelt and tasted funny. Almost like lead, or heated oil. Random gusts passed her arms, and the brushes of fabric. Screeches passed her by, and her mind supplied the word _'car'_. She continued walking, and became aware of other new sounds. Voices; no longer the yelling heard from the curse in transition, but the mutterings from townsfolk as she walked by. Rumple's manic yelling was replaced by the click of a cane as she passed _Mr Gold_ with a nod. She still saw the blankets of snow in the courtyard. A dog barked; Pongo, or perhaps Titan or Max. She became aware of something in her hand only as she released it into a cold slot (post box), and felt herself turn around. She could hear the click of heels on the pavement, and her own breathing. A sigh.

And then all she could see changed. For a few moments she watched in awe as a car drove by again on a road, and the barking was confirmed as Titan, a large black dog, rather like a bear. The sky was dark; nine, or perhaps ten, in the evening. There was Ruby, shuffling down the street. The street lights were on, and she gaped at the electricity without moving her head. It was like being trapped in her own body as it moved, and making invisible motions of her own. She glanced back in time to see the moment a gym teacher out for a late jog forgot he used to be a knight before she went inside, and knew it wouldn't be long for her now. Her eyes would be glazed over by morning, and her memories would be lost. Then she found herself inside, back in the town Library, and much to her disappointment she passed by the books. Through a concealed door and up the stairs. Such odd designs on the walls. There's a mirror! What an odd blouse, but it matches well with her skin tone. Normal again. And then to the small bedroom. A brief chance to consider the undergarments of this realm before they're gone, replaced by a night gown. To the small bathroom; odd contraptions here too. Clean your teeth (toothpaste, ingenious). Check the phone for messages. No calls; there never are. Off with the lights, close the curtains by the moonlight. Collapse into bed.

Everything is dark.

Just 28 years to go.


	24. At last!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drum roll please

Chapter 1 of Part 2 of 'A Loss of Control' is now posted, called 'An Appearance of Power'! If interested, please read :)


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